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Busan Water Authority Conducts Intensive Inspection of Illegal Facilities Within the Hoedong Water Source Protection Area

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Busan Metropolitan City Water Authority (hereinafter referred to as “the Authority”) announced that it will conduct an intensive inspection (hereinafter referred to as “the inspection”) of illegal facilities within the Hoedong Water Source Protection Area through June 30.

◯ The Hoedong Water Source Protection Area is a clean water source supplying tap water to approximately 400,000 residents in eastern Busan without using Nakdong River surface water. Although the Authority has made significant efforts to improve water quality and maintain the protection area, concerns have recently been raised over increasing illegal facilities and unauthorized operations within the area that may cause water pollution.

The Authority has conducted annual special inspections to eradicate illegal activities within the Hoedong Water Source Protection Area. However, to strengthen the effectiveness of continuous inspections and follow-up management, enhanced inspection measures will be implemented this time.

◯ The Climate and Environment Bureau is also reinforcing policies aimed at improving water quality by strengthening special crackdowns and inspections of illegal facilities along rivers and within water source protection areas.

◯ In line with these efforts, the Authority plans to carry out more rigorous and continuous inspections and administrative actions against illegal facilities and unauthorized activities within the Hoedong Water Source Protection Area to ensure strict preservation and thorough management of the protected area.

In addition, to improve the effectiveness of inspections, the Authority will form a joint enforcement team with the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office, Geumjeong-gu, Gijang-gun, and Yangsan-si. The Authority will also cooperate with departments responsible for enforcement related to the Building Act, the Food Sanitation Act, and the Development Restriction Zone Act to conduct comprehensive crackdowns.

◯ The joint enforcement team will include officials from the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office’s environmental monitoring unit and permitting departments of the relevant local governments, including environmental sanitation, architecture, and urban planning personnel. Through close on-site inspections within the protection area, the team aims to further enhance enforcement effectiveness.

◯ Through these efforts, the Authority expects to establish a more thorough management system for the protection area by identifying not only existing illegal facilities but also newly established violations and updating records of unlawful facilities accordingly.

In particular, this inspection will focus on unauthorized buildings, illegal changes in building use, unauthorized landform alterations, and unauthorized business operations. If illegal activities are detected, the Authority plans to take strong administrative measures, including criminal complaints and immediate restoration orders for the facilities involved.

◯ In addition, the Authority will review whether existing violators have complied with previously imposed administrative measures. If noncompliance is confirmed, additional sanctions will be imposed, and the violations will be registered on illegal facility management records for continuous tracking and management until the violations are resolved.

◯ Unauthorized buildings will be subject to criminal complaints, including fines, along with corrective orders. If corrective orders are not fulfilled, compulsory performance charges will be imposed, and continued noncompliance may result in administrative enforcement actions.

Kim Byung-gi, Head of the Busan Water Authority, stated, “The Hoedong Water Source Protection Area is one of Busan’s most important drinking water sources, serving as an alternative water source to the Nakdong River while preserving a rare unpolluted natural environment within the city. Thorough management is therefore extremely important.” He added, “Through this intensive inspection, we will do our utmost to eradicate illegal activities and fundamentally block pollution sources in order to protect clean water resources.”