Water, like the air that we breathe, is vital to life. Nowadays, the demand for water is increasing because of rising populations and changing weather conditions. My friends, Son Jin-woog, Na Jung-lyul, and I drafted a report for Window to the World (WTW), in which we proposed to go to several European countries to do research on water supply and demand policy. We submitted the WTW-report to the Center for International Programs (C.I.P.) at Yeungnam University (YU) in April, 2006, and, after reviewing our report and conducting three interviews, we were eventually selected for the WTW-delegation.
It was easy preparing to go to Germany and England because our professors had lived there for a long time. They gave us a lot of information and introduced us to people in the offices of the environment in those countries, and we began to make an itinerary for our research into strategies for the management of the water environment. Before leaving, we surveyed actual conditions in Korea and some European countries and found that the German and English problems were the same as those in Korea. As delegates of WTW, we received $1,000 travel allowance, so we booked our flights to Germany. Korea is suffering from water shortage just as much as European countries. Although Korea has implemented a heavy-water system to purify used industrial-water by filtration, it is already inefficient because we've now developed new facilities such as the Lotte World-system to purify used water. The Korean government is still concerned, however, that we may still be behind Germany and England.
  While there, we visited the Reading Environment Agency on the River Thames in England, and the Rhine River Agency in Germany to analyze and compare heavy-water processing and the control of water resources. According to the German organization, the main reason why German water is cleaner than before is because they use rainwater. When I heard from local residents that they used recycled bathroom-water as a water supply for their gardens, I was amazed.
  Great Britain is known to be one of the most developed and experienced countries in water-environment management and it has introduced many revolutionary ideas. In 1989, the National Rivers Authority was established in England and Wales, and the independent regulatory body took over the management of the water-environment from ten Regional Water Authorities. After the country suffered a drought in 1995, it began to change its mind about the importance of water. Its rainwater and other policies provide more clean water than before and water quality is continuously improving. During the interviews, officials said that water is a shared resource and not any one person's property. Everyone has the right to use it provided that they take precious care of it. I could see that their thoughts were different from our cognitions and I was ashamed. Moreover, if they are reducing the rate of use and helping the water environment to be better they're satisfied. They trust government policies.
  In Japan, they use clean water by creating artificial streams in many places, consequently, they drink water from streams without filtering. Even though Japan's water condition is different from Korea's, it is trying to make sure that the quality of water is at its best.
  While staying in Europe, we realized the significance of water, and the importance of residents' cognition of the problems and solutions. Almost all people in Korea believe that water can be permanently recycled and revived. It'll take a long time to change policy and people's thoughts. However, after noticing our current situation, we had to change the deficit of our understanding by visiting Europe with WTW. Not everyone can apply for this program, but Korean citizens can learn, like I did, that simple strategies such as not wasting or polluting water sources are effective and immediate solutions for saving the government a lot of time and money establishing sophisticated water systems. Now, I also realize that the global problem of water scarcity is as serious as world governments say it is. However, this trip was a good opportunity for us to appreciate and be aware. We'll never forget our valuable experience. London's splendid Houses of Parliament on the north bank of the River Thames. An interview with foreigners in England's International Gallery. With a friend on the bank of the River Thames in England. I took the train to go to England.