Gwangju City Launches Special Surveillance on Environmental Pollution During Heavy Rainfall

Three-Phase Operation from June to August: Inspections on Unauthorized Wastewater Discharge
Promoting Voluntary Facility Management and Providing Technical Support

Special surveillance photo of environmental pollution activity. Provided by Gwangju City

On June 16, Gwangju City announced that it will conduct a "Special Summer Environmental Pollution Surveillance" for three months until August, in order to proactively prevent environmental pollution accidents that may occur due to illegal activities such as unauthorized wastewater discharge during the summer heavy rainfall period.

This special surveillance is a preemptive measure to prevent pollutants from flowing into public water bodies due to heavy rains, and will be carried out in three phases.

In the first phase, until the end of this month, the city will promote the special surveillance plan to local businesses that discharge environmental pollutants and encourage self-inspection to raise awareness about facility management.

In the second phase, until early August, the city will conduct special surveillance and on-site inspections targeting illegal activities such as unauthorized wastewater discharge and improper operation of pollution prevention facilities that may occur during heavy rainfall.

The main inspection items include: ▲ installation and operation of unlicensed (unreported) discharge facilities ▲ proper operation of discharge and prevention facilities ▲ installation of secret outlets for unauthorized wastewater discharge, among others. The city will focus on thoroughly inspecting the management of pollutants.

In the third phase, during August when the rainy season ends, the city will cooperate with the Gwangju Green Environment Support Center to support the restoration of malfunctioning or damaged prevention facilities through facility and process diagnostics and technical support.

Separately, the city conducts regular year-round guidance and inspections. In April and May, it also provided capacity-building training for environmental technicians at small-scale discharge businesses to help establish a voluntary environmental management system.

Kim Osook, Director of Environmental Conservation, stated, "In order to proactively block illegal discharges of environmental pollutants, it is important for citizens to pay attention and actively participate in reporting." Kim also requested, "If you witness illegal activities, please report them to the environmental pollution hotline (landline 128, mobile 062-128)."

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