The contamination has spread to the water used for daily life in the Suwan District, with little action taken for over two years. Park Sugi, a councilor, demanded the immediate cessation of borehole usage and the allocation of 15 billion won for decontamination. Park Byung-kyu, the district mayor, issued a public apology and initiated an audit, promising to devise countermeasures.
In a session of the Gwangju City Council on the 15th, Park revealed that Gwangju City failed to take significant measures despite the detection of highly carcinogenic substances in groundwater near Gwangju’s Hanam Industrial Complex and surrounding areas. Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) were found exceeding allowable limits by 466 times and 284 times, respectively, in groundwater, both designated as Group 1 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Park stated that contaminants are spreading from Hanam Industrial Complex towards residential areas like the Suwan District. Despite recognizing potential risks through a groundwater management plan established in 2019 and conducting detailed investigations from 2020 to 2023, the city and district took no further action after confirming the contamination through a commissioned report.
Councilor Park criticized the authorities for focusing solely on jurisdictional issues while public health and safety are in peril, urging the immediate halt of borehole usage in the Suwan District and commencement of decontamination efforts, estimating the required budget at 15 billion won.
A city official acknowledged the legal delegation of groundwater management to district offices but emphasized the joint effort with districts to address the emergent health and safety issue, promising comprehensive short-term and long-term execution plans.
Gwangsanku Mayor Park Byung-kyu apologized for the district’s lack of swift response and failure to inform residents, promising an investigation into the mishandling of contamination reports and cooperation with experts to devise containment and decontamination strategies. Additionally, the district plans to perform comprehensive checks on all 187 boreholes in the Suwan District and reflect local circumstances in environmental assessments and studies conducted by the Ministry of Environment. Park also pledged to transparently disclose the background and accountability for the oversight.