HOW IS YOUR WATER? Author: Ashley Kim Illustrator: Ashley Kim
Intro This book tells about Taean oil spill accident in 2007 in Korea. All of Taean citizens include Roze, Vernon, and Jorny fell in panic because of the oil spill. We can find how much important the water is and how it related to our lives throughout this story. Therefore I’m asking you. How is your water? Do you have any water problem? If you do you can get encourage to overcome the water problem with reading this story. If you don’t it will be good time to know about water problems. I hope you enjoy this story. Ok! Let’s begin!
It was just a same day as usual. Roze, Vernon, and Jorny were hanging out and having fun in Taean City, Korea. When it was time for lunch these three friends, Roze’s dad who is a fisherman, Vernon’s dad who is working at a shopping mall, and Jorny’s dad who is a cook all met together to have lunch in their village. Because everything was so peaceful, they didn’t know a terrible 1 accident was about to happen.
A floating crane 2 was carrying two ships with a wire. Then all of a sudden, one ship lost its connection with the 3 crane. It spiraled out of control and bumped into the other ship that was carrying oil. In a matter of seconds…4 ”Bamn”.. Something unexpected occurred . Three holes were made on the ship that was carrying the oil.
The ocean was not peaceful anymore. Mighty 5 waves roared 6 over the ocean while oil spread out at the speed of light. It spread wider and wider. Taean citizen 7 fell in panic. Fish were hurt and the ocean was getting dirty. It was 8 getting polluted. All of the fish were dying and the hope of the Taean citizens were fading away. 9
Because of the oil that spread in the ocean, Roze’s dad couldn’t fish anymore and nobody was interested in going to Taean shopping mall because of the polluted water. Vermon’s and Jorny’s dad didn’t have people to sell their stuff; They were left with an empty shopping mall. Roze, Vernon, and Jorny couldn’t hang out around the ocean. Smiles were gone from all their faces and they wondered what they could do.
While people fell in panic some messiahs10 showed up in their city. More than two million volunteers11Â showed up to help the Taean citizens get back their ocean and their smiles.
”Let’s help the volunteers!” Vernon, Roze, and Jorny said. The Taean 12 13 citizens and the volunteers used shovels and absorbent paper to get rid of the widely spread oil. They separated the oil and the oceans 14 water with absorbent paper and gathered the oil into a big tub using shovels.
*
2007
2008
Thanks to effort of the volunteers and the Taean citizens, oil started to disappear.Â
2010
2016
Birds that were never seen here before could be spotted15Â while the ocean that was dyed16Â black became clear blue with fish swimming happily in the clean water.
Thanks to volunteers, the Taean citizens regained their laughter. Children in Taean City including Roze, Vernon, and Jorny is able to have as much fun as before. Roze’s dad go fishing while Vernon’s dad works at a shopping mall and Jorny’s dad works at a restaurant as before. All of the Taean citizens including the parents and children is living just as happily as before 17 the disaster occurred..
Glossary 1 accident
Dictionary
(n.): something that happens by chance or from unknown causes and
that often causes injury or damage 2
crane (n): a machine with a swinging arm for lifting and carrying heavy weights
3 spiral 4 in
out of control (v.): to change very quickly and in an uncontrolled way
a matter of seconds: in only a few seconds
5 mighty 6 roar
(adj.): having great power or strength
(v.): to move with a loud noise
7 citizen 8 pollute
(n.): a person who lives in a particular place (v.): to spoil or make impure especially with waste made by humans
9
fade away (v.): to slowly disappear, lose importance, or become weaker
10 messiah
(n.): a person who is expected to save people from a very bad
situation 11 volunteer
(n.): a person who does something by free choice usually with
no payment expected or given 12 shovel
(n.): a tool with a long handle and broad scoop used to lift and
throw loose material (as dirt or snow) 13
absorbent paper (n.): a soft unsized paper used for absorbing oil
14
tub (n.): a wide container used to hold something
15 spot 16
(v.): to see or notice
dye (v.): to change the color of (something, such as hair or cloth) by using
a dye 17 disaster
(n.): something (as a flood or a tornado) that happens suddenly
and causes much suffering or loss
Taean oil spill What happened? -About 12.547 kiloliters of oil which were in the Hebei Spirit ship spilled off in Taean ocean. Beyond the west coast, it spread to nearby Gunsan, Mokpo, and Jeju Island in Korea. It was getting polluted and most of the fish died. Why did it happen? - A floating crane ’Samsung No.1’ was carrying two tug boats called ’Samsung T-5’ and ‘Samsung T-3’ after Incheon Bridge construction. They were sailing in parallel. And the wire that was connecting floating crane and Samsung T-5 was cut off. The floating crane lost its control and it was collided with ‘Hebei Spirit ship’.It was a Hong Kong shipping tanker that was carrying oil. When two ships bumped into one another, about 12.547 kiloliters of oil spilled out into the ocean from Hebei Spirit ship. It was the biggest oil spill in Korea. It was believed that the oil spill would not spread due to the cold winter temperature at first. However, due to unreasonably warm temperature, strong waves in the ocean and unexpected wind directions have caused the oil spill to expand.
Whose responsibility is it? - Samsung Industires is responsible for the oil spill. 1.Samsung Industries must have known that the weather wasn’t going to be nice for sailing on the day of the accident. If they checked the weather forecast they could know there will be a strong wave and they must not sail that day. 2.Samsung Industries could have suggested a solution when they knew there was a warning of crash. They consistently said “it will be fine” even though Hebei Spirit ship gave Samsung ship a warning. -Hebei Spirit ship is also responsible for the oil spill. 1. Inside the structure of Hebei Spirit ship was not strong enough to prevent liquid cargo leak. If the sturcture of Hebei Spirit ship was stronger there will be less leakage than Taean oil spill. How? -When the two ships collided, Hebei Spirit ship which was carrying oil was made 3 holes and oil which was in the ship flowed into water. Damage -Marine pollution damage -Territorial damage -Resident health damage -Socio-economic damage -Environment · Ecology
What did the government do? - Special Act (Compensation) Article 11 (Support for Oil Pollution Damaged Areas and Damaged Residents) 1. Support for medical care, prevention, control and garbage collection activities 2. Special support of money 3. Support for education, culture, tourism, welfare, etc. 4. Support for farmers and fishermen's farming, English, facilities, working capital, etc 5. Support people who have not received compensation or compensation even though they have suffered substantial damage as compensation. Where? -In Taean ocean ( Korean Yellow sea coast) ＊The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea When? -In the morning of 7 December 2007 What finally happened? -More than 2 million people visit in Taean ocean as a volunteer. They cleaned with many tools include absorbent paper and shovel. Thanks to volunteers Taean ocean got better more quickly than people expected
'Because of the oil that spread in the ocean, Roze’s dad couldn’t fish anymore and nobody was interested in going to Taean shopping mall because of the polluted water. Vermon’s and Jorny’s dad didn’t have people to sell their stuff; They were left with an empty shopping mall. Roze, Vernon, and Jorny couldn’t hang out around the ocean. Smiles were gone from all their faces and they wondered what they could do.'
How is your water?