Residents Suffering from ‘Osu Backflow and Odor’ Ignored by ‘Jeonju City’

"Consistently Avoiding Responsibility, Saying 'Ask LH Corporation'"

Wastewater is backing up in the drainage facility. Photo by Jang Dongju resident

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hong Jaehee] Residents of Jang-dong, Jeonju-si, adjacent to Jeonbuk Innovation City, are suffering from sewage backflow and the resulting foul odor, yet the responsible local government is doing nothing.

Some criticize that the city departments related to construction and sewage show no willingness to identify the causes to resolve complaints and are only eager to avoid responsibility.

According to Jeonju City on the 9th, regarding the Jeonbuk Innovation City development project, LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation) completed the sewage pipes (stormwater and sewage) infrastructure in 2013 and the Water Quality Restoration Center in 2015.

After completion, LH transferred these facilities to Jeonju City for maintenance and management.

The Water Quality Restoration Center can process 16,500 tons daily of stormwater and sewage over a total area of 1,215.4 hectares, including Jeonju and Wanju Innovation Cities, and the main sewage pipe can accommodate a population of over 30,000.

Wastewater residue backflowed from the drainage facility is covering the road. Photo by Jang Dongju resident

The problem is that sewage is backing up due to heavy rains and other factors.

One resident said, “In the past two years, sewage has been backing up at night or when it rains,” adding, “Because sewage from places like restrooms is backing up, even waste residue is flowing out,” expressing distress.

He continued, “The sidewalks and road surfaces are in terrible condition, and the foul odor caused by this is causing suffering for nearby residents. I filed complaints with the district office and business sites, but they only said that large-scale facility construction is needed and advised me to contact LH Corporation,” he said.

Moreover, since the sewage pipe where the backflow occurs is adjacent to Innovation-ro, the backed-up sewage flows onto the road, spreading the foul odor due to passing cars.

Despite this situation, Jeonju City is just folding its arms as if it were someone else’s problem.

Regarding this, a Jeonju City official said, “We only request drainage facility consultations from the sewage facilities department,” and added, “We only manage the facilities transferred from LH Corporation and the facilities department after completion.”

Stormwater is backing up in the drainage system. Photo by Jang Dongju resident

They also said, “The capacity has increased, and the sewage pipe is narrow, so backflow is inevitable. Although it is not our responsibility, if the comprehensive sewage pipe survey conducted this year is carried out, the cause can be identified,” they added.

However, an LH Corporation official who was involved in the construction at the time expressed that they do not understand Jeonju City’s position.

Regarding the opinion that the sewage pipe is narrow, they explained, “It is hard to understand that backflow occurs because the sewage pipe was installed as a 1.2m box and is narrow,” and added, “Backflow problems mostly occur when the pipe is blocked or there is a misconnection.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.