The joint investigation team for wastewater pipeline leakage at the Seogu Dyeing Industrial Complex in Daegu, comprised of Daegu City, Daegu Regional Environmental Office, and Seogu District Office, announced on the 31st that it has completed a tracking investigation of 19 suspected businesses. In addition, a separate investigation into wastewater discharge facility businesses confirmed legal violations at a total of 10 locations.
Among these, the joint investigation team has already taken or plans to take administrative actions such as a 10-day suspension of operations and prosecution for five companies that violated regulations on leakage or installation of leakage facilities, fines for four companies that failed to maintain work logs, and prosecution of the Dyeing Industrial Complex Management Corporation due to wastewater leakage caused by gaps in the pipeline connected to the joint wastewater treatment plant.
According to the Water Environment Conservation Act, installing facilities that discharge or could discharge water pollutants from wastewater discharge facilities without channeling them into prevention facilities is punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million KRW. Discharging wastewater into public sewage pipelines is punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.
Since January 8, several incidents of wastewater leakage have occurred in the sewage pipeline leading to the Dalseocheon Sewage Treatment Plant in Seogu, following the appearance of purple-colored water. In response, the on-site response team inspected sewage manholes and continued to investigate the suspected businesses and pipelines. On February 25, they identified 19 companies suspected of wastewater leakage and formed a joint investigation team with the Daegu Regional Environmental Office and Daegu City. Daegu City conducted special inspections of the businesses with environmental officials from its eight districts and counties.
The Daegu Regional Environmental Office investigated the sewage pipelines in sections suspected of wastewater leakage and requested strengthened internal environmental management from the businesses. To prevent further inflow of wastewater, all available human and material resources were mobilized for a comprehensive inspection.
So far, Seogu District Office has inspected 47 out of 107 businesses, and the Daegu Regional Environmental Office has conducted additional inspections of 23 businesses, separate from regular and occasional inspections. The remaining businesses will be inspected by April. In the future, if wastewater leakage occurs, an on-site response team will be dispatched immediately to inspect the business in question.
Seogu District Office in Daegu will install manholes at the connection points of pipelines leading from each business to the sewage pipeline. This project aims to make it easier to detect wastewater leakage from businesses, raise awareness, and enable rapid tracking in the event of leakage. After pilot installations at businesses near the pipelines where leakage was suspected, the project will be expanded to all businesses.
On the 11th, the Daegu Regional Environmental Office and Seogu District Office conducted training for representatives of businesses in the Dyeing Industrial Complex, covering cases of wastewater leakage, legal matters, and precautions. In the future, employee training will be conducted alongside regular and occasional inspections. Daegu City is pursuing various projects to fundamentally resolve wastewater leakage, including relocating the Dyeing Industrial Complex, integrating and undergrounding sewage treatment plants, renovating old sewage pipelines, and supporting the installation costs of business drainage pipes and sewage manholes.
The Dyeing Industrial Complex Management Corporation is also implementing its own preventive measures. Signs distinguishing between wastewater and rainwater pipelines have been produced in both Korean and English and installed at all businesses. Every morning at 9 a.m., an announcement is broadcast to all businesses regarding wastewater management precautions, and old wastewater pipelines are being inspected and maintained. Additionally, new CCTV cameras are being installed in the sewage collection pipelines, and pH levels are measured hourly by sampling.
Recently, with repeated wastewater leakage incidents in the sewage collection pipelines, Dalseocheon Environmental Office and the Dyeing Industrial Complex Management Corporation have been monitoring the situation for more than 24 hours. Furthermore, Seogu District Office in Daegu plans to establish a perfect real-time monitoring system by installing additional CCTV cameras and video display monitors in the integrated control center, duty room, and the Department of Living Environment.
A representative of the joint investigation team stated, "We strongly urge all businesses to conduct self-inspections and take proactive measures, and we will take strict action if violations are discovered during unannounced inspections."
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