With sudden rainstorms becoming more frequent nationwide, complaints about drainage facilities are soaring. The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission recently analyzed 20,604 complaints related to ‘rainwater drains and sewer pipes’ gathered over the past 18 months through the national civil complaint portal and local government channels.
The analysis covered the period from January 2024 to June 2025, revealing a surge in complaints, especially during periods of heavy rainfall from May to July, accounting for 40.9% of the total complaints. In 2024, the average monthly complaints were 978, which increased sharply to 1,479 in 2025. June 2025 saw the highest number of complaints in the analysis period, a 1.6-fold increase compared to the first half of the previous year.
Complaints were predominantly concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area. In the first half of this year alone (January to June), Seoul City received 3,809 complaints, surpassing the total annual complaints of 3,284 from 2024. Relative complaint rates, considering population and area, were high in Busan, Gwangju, and Daejeon.
Most complaints were of a report nature, including issues like “the roads and pavements are flooded, making passage impossible” and “rainwater has entered inside the building,” indicating drainage malfunction or flood risks. In addition, requests for maintenance, construction demands, and illegal dumping crackdowns were commonly reported.
In maintenance requests, pre-inspection of frequently flooded areas, removal of leaves and soil from rainwater drains, and replacement of facilities to prevent garbage inflow were prevalent. Construction-related complaints mainly focused on demands for capacity expansion, new installations, and follow-up actions after construction. Illegal dumping complaints frequently mentioned cigarette butts, food waste, soil discharge from construction sites, and cement waste entry.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission shared the analysis results with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, the Ministry of Environment, and local governments nationwide, to aid in drainage facility maintenance and flood prevention. The complaint cases can also be viewed on the commission’s ‘Comprehensive Civil Complaint Big Data’ website.
Yoo Cheol-hwan, chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, stated, “Complaints related to drainage facilities are not just minor inconveniences but significant signals threatening national safety.” He added, “We will listen closely to public opinion and strive to prevent repeated inconveniences and damages.”