Assemblyman An Ho-young: "The Ministry of Environment must purchase all livestock farms in Iksan Wanggung and Gimje Yongji to improve Saemangeum water quality and resolve odor issues"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Tae-in] The project to purchase active livestock farms in Wanggung to improve water quality in the Saemangeum area and resolve odor issues in Iksan City is expected to proceed at a rapid pace.

On the 14th, Ahn Ho-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Wanju, Jinan, Muju, and Jangsu), urged the Jeonbuk Regional Environmental Office during a National Assembly inspection of Ministry of Environment-affiliated agencies to purchase all livestock farms in Wanggung, Iksan, to prevent water pollution in Saemangeum Lake and to designate the Hansan Settlement Farm in Yongji-myeon, Gimje, as a special management area.

Since the establishment of the ‘Wanggung Settlement Farm Comprehensive Environmental Improvement Plan,’ from 2011 to 2020, a total of 107.7 billion KRW has been invested to purchase 432,000㎡ out of 599,000㎡ of active livestock farms in Wanggung.

As a result, the water quality of Iksancheon improved by 97%, with T-P levels dropping from 4.593 in 2010 to 0.147 in 2019, and complex odor levels improved by 87%, decreasing from 31 in 2012 to 4 in 2020.

However, due to the remaining traditional livestock farms that have not yet been purchased, the maximization of water quality improvement effects in Saemangeum cannot be guaranteed. Continuous discharge of livestock manure makes it urgently necessary to purchase all livestock farms to prevent water pollution in Saemangeum. A similar situation applies to the Hansen Settlement Farm located in Yongji-myeon, Gimje.

Representative Ahn Ho-young stated, “There are considerable resident complaints about odors caused by livestock manure,” and emphasized, “The Ministry of Environment must promptly proceed with the full purchase of Wanggung livestock farms and designate and purchase all livestock farms in Yongji, Gimje as special management areas.”

He raised his voice, saying, “I will continue to do my best to protect the health rights of residents by resolving odor problems at livestock farms, improving water quality in Saemangeum Lake, and enhancing the living environment of residents.”

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