"Odor Management Area" Fails to Deliver
Nearby Residents Still Suffer from Unpleasant Smells
On September 17, the Daegu city government announced that, following its designation of the Daegu Dyeing Industrial Complex as an odor management area to reduce unpleasant smells in the Seogu district, it will actively pursue the introduction of "stricter emission standards."
Previously, Daegu has implemented various odor improvement measures, such as supporting the replacement of outdated air pollution prevention facilities in line with the development of the West Daegu Station area and the creation of the Pyeongni New Town, and designating the Dyeing Industrial Complex as an odor management area as of June 1, 2024.
However, the city has determined that there are limits to improving the living environment in ways that residents can truly feel, and has now begun to establish even stricter emission standards.
The Dyeing Industrial Complex currently houses 128 textile dyeing companies. According to odor surveys conducted by the Korea Environment Corporation in 2020 and 2024, the overall odor situation has improved. Nevertheless, residential areas near the complex continue to be affected, and residents have consistently called for further improvements.
In response, the city of Daegu has concluded that the current emission standards are insufficient for meaningful improvement. In accordance with Article 7 of the Odor Prevention Act and Article 8 of its Enforcement Rules, the city is preparing to apply stricter standards for complex odor emissions, such as strengthening the dilution factor from the current 1,000 times to as much as 500 times.
The detailed standards will be finalized after gathering the results of the odor surveys and collecting opinions from local residents, the dyeing industrial complex, and other stakeholders.
Daegu expects that the introduction of "stricter emission standards" will greatly contribute to improving odor issues and resolving complaints in the Seogu district.
Kwon Osang, Director of the Environmental Water Resources Bureau of Daegu, stated, "Even after designating the area as an odor management zone, odor emissions and resident complaints have continued. We intend to further strengthen management of odor-emitting businesses to improve the living environment for citizens," adding, "In addition, we will continue to provide policy support such as technical assistance for odor reduction at businesses and improvements to air pollution prevention facilities."
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