Dongwook Lee of Daegu City Council: "65.5% of Sewage Pipelines Over 20 Years Old"... Sewage Flows into Streams During Rainy Season

Pointing Out Issues in a Five-Minute Speech at the Plenary Session

Dongwook Lee, a member of the Daegu City Council (People Power Party, Buk-gu District 5), will use a five-minute free speech session at the 3rd plenary meeting of the 319th extraordinary session on September 12 to highlight the issue of flood damage caused by rapid climate change and the aging of the city’s sewage pipelines, urging Daegu City to respond quickly and effectively.

In July 2025, Nogok-dong in Buk-gu, Daegu, experienced heavy rainfall of up to 48.5mm per hour, resulting in flooding at 20 business sites and 4 homes, and forcing 26 residents to evacuate using rescue boats. The number and scale of flood incidents have been increasing every year, making it urgent to establish swift preventive measures.

Dongwook Lee Daegu City Councilor

According to the Ministry of Environment’s 2024 sewer statistics, 45.2% of sewage pipelines nationwide are over 20 years old. In Daegu, this figure stands at 65.5%, the second highest in the country after Seoul. The rate of separated sewage systems in Daegu is only 40.2%, which is significantly lower than Busan (70.6%), Incheon (60%), and Gwangju (55.4%).

Lee is expected to state, "Although Daegu City has established a master plan and a plan to separate sewage and rainwater systems in order to improve the sewer system, citizens have yet to experience any tangible changes. Even just looking at Palgeo Stream, Banpo Stream, and Donghwa Stream in Buk-gu, during the rainy season, sewage still flows into the streams, causing severe odors and swarms of gnats, which greatly inconvenience residents."

He will also emphasize, "The problems that citizens face in their daily lives can no longer be postponed," and propose several measures to expedite the sewer rehabilitation project and achieve results: selecting priority areas for improvement and shortening the target completion year, considering the introduction of short-term storage and drainage facilities, and strengthening inspection systems before periods of heavy rainfall.

Dongwook Lee will strongly urge Daegu City to take responsible administrative action and develop fundamental countermeasures, stating, "With each passing year, increasingly severe heavy rains, frequent flooding, and odor issues caused by sewage flowing into streams are seriously threatening the safety and quality of life of citizens."