DISPUTE OVER LANDFILL SITE CONSTRUCTION

[Anchor Lead]

Yeongwol County residents in Gangwon-do Province are protesting the construction of a landfill site. Some point out it could cause groundwater pollution all the way to the Seoul metropolitan area. KBS has obtained an environmental assessment report from the company overseeing the project, and found numerous flaws in it.

[Pkg]

Water in the Ssangyongcheon Stream, which flows into the Hangang River, the source of drinking water for the Seoul metropolitan area, has turned green. It happened after certain substances were leaked into the stream during an experiment conducted by a cement company in order to build a landfill site. Locals are strongly protesting the project.

[Soundbite] Choi Byung-sung(Committee opposing landfill site construction in Yeongwol) : "The local residents have suffered from　dust and odor for 60 years due to cement production and mine operation. Building a landfill site here would deprive them of their own lives."

Concerns of groundwater pollution are rising as a large landfill site the size of 25 soccer fields is to be built near a closed mine. Measuring 210,000 sq. m., it will be able to process more than 5.6 million tons of garbage annually in the next 16 years. KBS has obtained an environmental assessment report for the project. It says if waste water is leaked, it will likely take 15 years for it to reach the Ssangyongcheon Stream. However, in reality it took just three days.

[Soundbite] Seo Yong-seok(Prof., Korea Society of Engineering Geology) : "Polluted water flows quickly through the pipes. It's not surprising that it flowed into the stream in just three days during the tracer test. It proves that there are many cavities underground."

The company overseeing the project never properly analyzed limestone dissolution in groundwater. But it's determined to build the landfill site no matter what.

[Soundbite] Choi In-ho(Ssangyong C&E) : "We conducted an additional investigation after it had been pointed out that the site and the hydrogeological properties of the surrounding area were not studied properly."

Local residents are demanding that the project be scrapped entirely citing the flaws in the environmental assessment.