Soil sticks to magnets there, 122 people in April village’a year of nightmare’

When I entered the Sawol village in Wanggil-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon, around 11 am on the 11th, a pungent smell stabbed my nose. Even though I was wearing a mask, I still had a stretched cough.
The unconfirmed origin that a traveler on the road with a good view stayed for three days and became an’April Village’ is now literally an old saying. The village was judged unsuitable for housing by the Ministry of Environment on November 19, 2019.

In a village with a total of 52 households and 122 people, there are more factories than the number of residents. As of last year, 160 factories are in operation, including 122 manufacturers and 16 waste treatment companies. Next to the village is Dream Park Road, a road that transports household waste from Seoul and Gyeonggi-do to the metropolitan landfill. Residents claim that the damage of iron powder and scattering dust has intensified as waste disposal companies such as recycled aggregates entered the village.

The soil of this village sticks to the magnet. The soil was collected from under the wall in the village, placed on white paper, and held a magnet, and the iron powder separated from the soil quickly moved along with the magnet. When I held the magnet directly on the soil on the paper, a handful of soil was attached. Lee Mo (28), who was born and raised in the village, said, “It’s not yesterday that my throat hurts because of iron powder and dust.” “Due to severe atopy, there are always scars on both arms and legs.” Kwon Soon-bok (74, female), who has lived for 20 years, said, “It turned black when I hang my laundry outside in the summer. I also had thyroid surgery, so I have to take a lot of medicine every day to survive.”

It has been more than a year since it was judged inappropriate for housing, but there has been no significant change in Sawol Village. According to the research team at Gachon University Gil Hospital, who was in charge of the “post-management service for the Sawol village health impact investigation,” the results of measuring the concentration of ultrafine dust (PM 2.5) over three days at the Sawol village town hall, housing, and business site were all average daily atmospheric environmental standards. (35µg/m3) was exceeded. It was significantly higher than the level of ultrafine dust in residential areas in Geomdan-dong, Seo-gu on the same day. Blood, chest CT, abdominal ultrasound, lung function, bone density, and electrocardiogram, etc., conducted to check the health status of 35 residents also revealed a number of abnormal findings. Earlier, the Ministry of Environment announced in 2019 that out of the 52 households in Sawol village, 37 households (71%) were found to be unsuitable for housing. After the announcement, Incheon City and Seo-gu formed a task force for Sawol village countermeasures and began to prepare countermeasures. However, there is no progress.

Since the announcement by the Ministry of Environment, the residents of Sawol village have requested group migration. However, last year, they changed their position toward development rather than migration. Jang Sun-ja, chairman of the Sawol Village Environmental Emergency Countermeasures Committee, explained, “I waited for a group of residents to relocate, but I was exhausted because of lack of support.”

However, as the development-related plans are destroyed, the residents are relocating to group migration. Kim Jong-soo, the village representative, said, “The Sawol village has not been developed, and it continues to suffer. “Incheon City has been left for one year without suggesting measures, as an excuse for Corona 19,” he said. Incheon City is in a position to prepare measures to improve the environment of Sawol Village based on the results of the’environmental improvement measures establishment service for natural villages around the metropolitan area landfill site’ requested by an external agency.

“Sawol village development is not easy until Incheon City has solved the problems of business loss compensation and transportation shortages of more than the number of residents,” said Oh Jeong-han, director of the Human Environment Law Research Institute. I have to build it.”

Incheon = Reporter Shim Seokyong [email protected]