Iksan City Operates 'Odor Control Center', Handles 1,576 Complaints

Iksan City in North Jeolla Province operated a "24-hour Odor Control Center" during this summer season, handling a total of 1,576 odor-related complaints.

According to the city on November 7, the Odor Control Center was staffed by four professionals for six months from May through last month, monitoring odors around the clock not only on weekdays but also on weekends and public holidays without interruption.

Iksan City is focusing on creating a pleasant living environment by handling odor complaints through on-site management. Photo by Iksan City

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During this period, a total of 115 odor samples were collected, including 51 at night. Seven businesses that exceeded the permissible odor emission standards were ordered to suspend operations or implement improvements, leading to facility upgrades and odor reduction measures.

By type of complaint, 1,206 cases (77%) were related to livestock odors, 252 cases (16%) to industrial complex odors, and 118 cases (7%) to other sources. When a complaint was received, staff members used an odor backtracking system to quickly identify the source and immediately dispatched teams to the site to take action.

In particular, for livestock-related odors, major sites such as livestock barns and manure recycling facilities were selected, and two monitoring team members conducted regular patrols to implement immediate odor reduction measures when necessary. In industrial complex areas, nighttime inspections and the use of odor measurement vehicles and monitoring systems were combined to establish a customized monitoring system for each region.

The city also worked to enhance public trust in its odor reduction administration and strengthen its proactive response capabilities. Customized odor meetings were held for residents of apartment complexes, and training was provided to livestock farmers and environmental technicians to improve understanding of odor management policies.

An odor reduction permanent consultative body was also launched in cooperation with North Jeolla Province, Jeonju City, Gimje City, and Wanju County. Through this consultative body, a continuous cooperation system will be established for policy consultation and on-site response, and practical odor control measures will be promoted.

During the winter season (November to April), when odor complaints are relatively low, the Odor Control Center will operate flexibly: from 9 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, and from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.

In addition, by the end of the year, the city will conduct an analysis of odor complaint data to develop effective reduction measures and establish the 2026 Iksan City Comprehensive Odor Management Plan to build a systematic management foundation.

A city official stated, "We will continue to do our utmost to ensure that citizens can live in a pleasant environment through proactive and preemptive odor monitoring activities," adding, "We will continuously strengthen our on-site response system."

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