"Why Was This Thrown Away?" Apartment Toilet Floods with Sewage... 40kg of Rice Found Blocking Pipe

Toilets Back Up in Lower-Floor Units After 40kg of Rice Clogs Pipe
Specific Source and Entry Route of Rice Remain Unknown
Negligent Pipe Management Can Lead to Millions of Won in Compensation Rulings

Controversy has arisen after it was reported that approximately 40 kilograms of rice were discovered blocking a sewage pipe during cleaning, following sewage backflow in a bathroom on a lower floor apartment unit. On July 27, a photo of a notice titled "Absolutely No Foreign Objects in the Toilet" posted by an apartment management office was uploaded on social networking services (SNS) and social media. According to the notice, on the night of July 21, sewage backflowed through the toilet in a lower floor unit of one of the apartment buildings, causing severe contamination in the bathroom.

On the 27th, a photo of a notice titled "Absolutely No Foreign Objects in the Toilet" posted by an apartment management office was uploaded on social networking services (SNS) and social media. Photo from SNS galmari

The management office hired a professional company to conduct overnight sewage pipe cleaning over two days. During the process, they found about 40 kilograms of rice inside the pipe, which was determined to have blocked the flow of sewage, leading to the backflow into the lower floor unit's toilet. However, the notice did not specify how the rice entered the sewage pipe or which unit was responsible for dumping it.

The management office warned, "If you dispose of items that do not dissolve in water, such as rice, wet wipes, sanitary pads, food waste, and socks, into the toilet or drain, these foreign objects may accumulate in the main sewage pipe and cause major backflow damage." The office further stated, "Restoration and cleaning costs will ultimately be covered by the shared maintenance fees," and requested, "Please only flush waste and toilet paper down the toilet and use designated garbage bags for other waste."

Upon hearing the story, online users reacted with comments such as, "The rice is surprising, but the amount—40 kilograms—is truly shocking," "Why on earth would anyone throw rice into the drain?" and "The person responsible should be found and charged for the costs." Some users also shared experiences of apartment plumbing being blocked by various foreign objects such as beans, radishes, clam shells, and even underwear.

Meanwhile, backflow incidents caused by foreign objects in sewage pipes can lead to significant property damage and legal disputes. Previously, in 2021, in an apartment complex in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, a blockage in a common sewage pipe caused contaminated water to flow back into units, damaging home appliances and clothing. The court ruled that negligence in managing the common piping was the cause of the incident and ordered the residents' association to pay more than 56 million won in compensation to the affected resident. In the same year, in an apartment in Donghae, Gangwon Province, the basement sewage main was blocked by items such as tissue and food waste, resulting in flooding in two units. The residents' association reportedly paid a total of over 8.6 million won in compensation to the affected units.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.