Will semi-basement flats disappear?

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Seoul City has decided to restrict buildings from having “banjiha” or semi-basement houses as part of a package of measures to keep residential areas from becoming flooded.

Its decision came right after a record rainfall inundated about 12,500 homes during the downpour over the Chuseok holiday mostly in Yangcheon and Gangseo District. More than 9,000 of them were flats located halfway below ground level.

However, the city’s move is drawing concerns that such restrictions could further reduce homes that are affordable for low-income urbanites.

There are about 350,000 semi-basement flats in Seoul, taking up 10.7 percent of the total housing, according to the city government.

The municipal government estimates that about 69 percent of them were built before 1992 when the current drainage system became mandatory.

As the flood damage to semi-basement accommodation increases, the city will refrain from issuing construction permits and ultimately disallow flats that are vulnerable to flooding.

The city also said they would upgrade drainage conduits to handle 95 millimeters of rain per hour, from the current 75 millimeters per hour and improve the 111 pump systems in the city.

Civic organizations are critical that the city’s steps are largely makeshift and a repeat of previous measures that were unable to prevent future flooding.

“The measures are similar to those announced in 2007 and if the city had executed those plans properly, we could have had much less damage this time,” an official of the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements said.

They also expressed concern that it might worsen housing problems for low-income citizens.

On the Internet, netizens slammed the city government.

The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs opposed the idea of banning the construction of semi-underground flats. The regulation was already reviewed in 2003, but it was hushed up.

The city said they are continuing policies, not rehashing old measures.

“We are expanding the capacity of the pump systems, but some of them have not been completed due to budget shortfalls,” a city official said.

He also admitted that the regulation on semi-basement houses needs consultation and cooperation with the central government and it would take at least five years to actually go into effect.

서울시 반지하주택 공급 억제

서울시는 지난 21일 집중호우로 큰 수해를 입은 반지하주택의 신규 공급을 억제할 계획이라고 26일 밝혔다.

이번 폭우로 피해를 본 건물 1만2천500여개 주택중 반지하주택이 9천 개에 이르는 것으로 집계됐다.

서울시는 반지하주택이 저소득층의 주거지로 공급되고 있는 점을 감안, 대체주택을 공급하는 등 반지하주택의 수요와 공급을 체계적으로 관리할 방침이다.

서울시내 주택 326만가구 중 약 35만가구(10.7%)가 반지하주택이다. 이중 69%에 달하는 주택은 1992년 현행 배수구제도가 의무화되기 전에 지어졌다.

시는 상습 침수지역에서는 반지하주택의 건축허가를 제한할 수 있도록 건축법 개정을 추진하고 장기적으로는 반지하주택 공급을 불허할 방침이다.

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