Newly-built Reservoir

Today, the water problem is a serious socio-political problem threatening human survival worldwide.

Hundreds of millions of people are not supplied with enough drinking water due to severe climate change and ecological pollution, and many people are losing their lives every year due to drinking of polluted water.

When the whole world is suffering from the shortage of water and its pollution, the Korean people are not only concerned about water but also enjoying a happy life, drinking quality water.

The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un said:

"General Kim Jong Il, regarding ‘The people are my God' as his motto, believed in the people as in heaven, loved them infinitely and did his best for them, always prioritizing their demands and interests."

One day in June 1978, a series of tasks were set forth for South Hamgyong Province for improving the living standards of the local people. What was surprising was that a new reservoir was to be built in Hamhung, the provincial seat, and a project was to be undertaken to supply water from this new reservoir to an area scores of miles away from it.

As an independent reservoir had been built, the inhabitants in the area were not concerned about drinking water.

The project was associated with a touching story.

One day Chairman Kim Jong Il, always concerned about the people's living, learned that inhabitants in an area in a suburb of Hamhung envied the tasty tap water supplied to the provincial seat.

He called officials concerned and acquainted himself with the layout of the water-main network in Hamhung, asking them why they did not ensure that the water in the central area in the provincial seat was supplied to the inhabitants of the abovementioned area.

The officials told him that the water in the area was not of poor quality and that if the water of the Songchon River supplied to the central part were to be supplied to the area, the project demanded huge funds.

According to an elementary calculation, the project required thousands of tons of steel, cement, and a large number of large equipment and vehicles.

But Chairman Kim Jong Il, who had spared nothing for the people, said that he could not neglect the people's desire no matter how much money the project may demand, and that the project should be launched. And he solved all problems arising in the project.

When the project was progressing at a rapid speed at the last stage under his deep care, unexpected difficulties cropped up.

Though the project was implemented in the main, the local people could not be supplied with water in time as some equipment and materials which were not produced in the province were needed in addition.

Learning about the situation, Chairman Kim Jong Il called a senior official of the then Administration Council, and said that the water supply project in Hamhung had been finished but water could not be supplied from the new reservoir because of lack of some additional equipment needed for the project, asking if such equipment were available.

The official told him that they were available but it had already been decided to supply them to major construction projects and the equipment for the abovementioned project had to be dovetailed in a new production plan.

After a while, Chairman Kim Jong Il said that we are undertaking construction for the wellbeing of the people, even if it would mean impeding other construction projects, we should supply the equipment needed for the water supply project in Hamhung.

The project resumed, and soon it was completed.

Every house in the area witnessed the taps running with water from the new reservoir.

When he was told about it when he was visiting South Hamgyong Province some time later, Chairman Kim Jong Il expressed great satisfaction over the fact that the local people's wish had been fulfilled, saying that as they had solved the problem of drinking water in Hamhung and that people would be pleased.

Indeed, the clear and clean water our people drink and use every day is associated with Chairman Kim Jong Il's warm love for the people.