A stream in western Daegu has been stained with dark pink wastewater, according to the Seo-gu District Office of Daegu on Tuesday, in a repeat of a similar incident from last month.
The district office received a report at around 2:20 p.m. Monday that a vivid magenta fluid was spilling from a pipeline into the stream, and officials were dispatched to the site and collected water samples for analysis.
The water quality test revealed that the wastewater discharge had a pH level of 11, which the National Water Resources Management Integrated Information System confirmed is an environment in which fish cannot survive.
The stream is located near an industrial zone where textile dyeing and finishing processes are concentrated. The sewer pipe from where the colored wastewater came is linked to the textile dyeing cluster, local reports said.
Lee Joo-han, a member of the Daegu Seo-Gu Council who also visited the site, said, “There is no foul odor, but dark pink wastewater continued to flow down the stream.”
Inspections are underway, but the exact source of the spill and the substances in the wastewater have not yet been determined, officials said.
A similar incident occurred on Jan. 8 when wastewater of purple color was discharged into the stream. The repeat of a leakage of contaminated water is raising concerns among residents over water pollution and its possible threats to their environment and human health.
“When purple wastewater was found in the stream last month, the Daegu Metropolitan Government and the Seo-gu District Office announced that they had discussed and implemented measures to prevent future incidents. However, the same incident occurred again a month later. Residents now say they cannot trust the authorities,” said Cho Young-gi, a resident in Seo-gu in western Daegu.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
