A Battle With Sewage: "The Heat Was Worse Than the Stench" [Workers in Crisis] ⑥

Underground Like a Sauna, Above Ground With No Shade
Enduring Heat and Stench
Sewage Splashes, Sweat Pours

"Nausea is just the beginning. There is nothing you can ever get used to."

At 4:40 a.m. on July 25, in an apartment complex in Sindang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. Wearing a headlamp, safety helmet, and gloves, I climbed down a ladder into the underground sewage septic tank. The stench of old sewage pierced through my mask and stung my nose, while the heat and humidity made my body sticky. Although an oxygen supply device had been installed underground the previous day, the hot and damp air enveloped me, making it hard to breathe. The hydrogen sulfide concentration was 2 ppm, and the oxygen concentration was 19.9%. While these were not dangerous levels, I still felt dizzy.

Our reporter (left) is holding a sewage purification tank cleaning hose at an apartment in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Dongjoo Yoon

The septic tank is divided into a decomposition chamber, a filtration chamber, and a discharge chamber. Hardened sewage accumulates in the decomposition chamber, water collects in the filtration chamber, and wastewater is held in the discharge chamber. The process involves spraying water into the decomposition chamber with a regular hose and connecting a suction hose to the discharge chamber to send the sewage to a collection truck. If the sewage is not fully liquefied, it takes much longer to suction it out, extending the total work time.

I twisted my body to aim the regular hose inside the decomposition chamber. It was necessary to keep the hose tip steady and spray water evenly, while another worker beside me broke up the lumps with a fire hose. The brown foam called 'scum' that formed on the surface of the sewage was difficult to break, and the black solid sediment known as 'sludge' would not budge even when sprayed with water. If I tried to shift my posture for a moment, my knees ached and my back stiffened. The only sounds that broke the silence during the work were frustrated sighs: "It's too hard, it won't break."

A reporter from this paper is experiencing sewage septic tank cleaning at an apartment in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Dongju Yoon

The inside of the septic tank felt like a sauna. Less than five minutes into the work, I was already drenched in sweat. Every breath made my nose and throat sting, and my eyes burned. Sweat streamed down my face and pooled inside my work boots. The nausea-inducing smell seemed to dissolve into the air and seep through every pore of my skin. When sewage splashed up and touched my face, I felt lightheaded. There was nowhere to keep drinking water, so I could only moisten my lips underground and had to go outside to drink properly.

Cheon (age 59) said, "When working in hot weather, it's important to finish as quickly as possible, but the older the sewage is, the harder it gets, to the point where you can't even break it by stepping on it, so it inevitably takes a long time." He added, "In older buildings, the entrances are so narrow that you have to twist your body to get in. At least here, we can squat down, which is a relief."

A septic tank cleaning worker is holding a sewage septic tank cleaning hose at an apartment in Junggu, Seoul. Photo by Seungwook Park

As the sewage became more liquefied, the smell grew even stronger. I couldn't breathe through my nose, so I had to breathe only through my mouth. My mouth became so dry that even swallowing was painful. My eyes, irritated by hydrogen sulfide, quickly reddened, and some workers used artificial tears. One worker handed me a bottle, saying, "This helps a bit." Only after putting a few drops in my eyes could I see properly. Occasionally, foreign objects got stuck in the suction hose and had to be removed with a hook. Wet wipes, plastic, and hair ties were among the items caught, and the workers removed them barehanded and put them in a container. The smell penetrated beyond the mask and enveloped my entire body, while sewage splashed onto the backs of my hands and wrists.

Even after the underground work was finished, the job was not over. This time, we headed to the above-ground septic tank. In another building of the apartment complex, the septic tank lid was above ground. When the lid was opened, the pooled sewage emitted steam. The sunlight stung my skin, and the stench from the sewage above ground was even stronger than underground. Some even said it was cooler below ground. With no shade at the site, sweat poured continuously, and even drinking ice water with sewage-stained hands did nothing to relieve the heat. Passing residents pinched their noses and hurried away with grimaces. As noon approached, we skipped lunch. Hong (age 64) said, "When you do this job, you lose your appetite. Even if you go to a restaurant, people glare at you because of the smell, so I don't go."

Our reporter (center) is experiencing sewage septic tank cleaning at an apartment in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Dongjoo Yoon

To empty a single septic tank, the sewage collection truck has to make three to five trips. At dawn, it returns in 20 minutes, but during the day, it can take over an hour. There are 55 septic tank cleaning companies in Seoul, but only three designated treatment facilities. The waiting lines at each facility are long, so collection trucks spend dozens of minutes just waiting in line. Meanwhile, the workers stand in the scorching sun, waiting. There is no shelter or shade. I stood on the asphalt, unable to even wipe away my sweat.

Jin (age 65) said, "You get used to the smell over time, but you never get used to the heat. If the truck is late, you have to stand even longer, and then go straight back to work, so many people end up exhausted. Even ice water quickly becomes lukewarm and doesn't quench your thirst." I leaned my back against a wall with no shade, breathing heavily as I waited for the truck. Before my sweat could dry, I had to move again, and my work clothes were soaked with sweat and sewage.

After hours of work, we finally emptied one underground and two above-ground septic tanks. Even after showering and changing out of my sweat- and sewage-soaked work clothes, the smell clung stubbornly to my body. But for me, this was just an experience. Tomorrow, and the day after, these workers will descend once again into the same stench and heat. Suddenly, the words of one worker echoed in my ears: "Someone has to do it, right?"