3 Trillion Won Invested in 34 Flood-Prone Areas in Seoul ... No Flood Concerns from Next Year

Seoul City Strengthens Flood and Wind Disaster Prevention System... 'Flood Sensors' Installed on Roads in Gangnam and Sinwol
'Flood and Wind Disaster Safety Headquarters' Operates Until Autumn... Heavy Rain Warnings Sent Directly to Construction Sites

Major Flood Damage Sites in the Seoul Area

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul's flood and wind disaster prevention system will be further strengthened to protect citizens' safety and lives in the event of disasters such as typhoons or heavy rainfalls.

On the 15th, Seoul City held the '2020 Flood and Wind Disaster Countermeasure Report Meeting' at the City Hall Planning Situation Room, chaired by Mayor Park Won-soon, to review the projects carried out so far and check the preparedness for flood and wind disasters this summer.

This year, out of a total of 34 flood-vulnerable areas including Gangseo-gu Office Intersection, Oryu Station, and the Gildong area, which are habitual flood damage zones, 30 locations will complete flood and wind disaster countermeasures.

To this end, the city newly built or expanded 44 rainwater pumping stations and added 15 rainwater storage tanks. It also improved old and undersized sewage pipelines (562 km). Additionally, river maintenance (6.5 km) and bridge reconstruction (9 bridges) were carried out. Flood prevention facilities were installed in 86,385 households in vulnerable residential areas, and rainwater runoff reduction facilities were set up in 1,291 locations where rainwater could not infiltrate the ground and overflowed. Maintenance work was also conducted in 35 mountainous areas such as Bukhansan and Gwanaksan to prevent safety accidents.

The total budget invested to resolve flooding damage in these vulnerable areas reached 3.0394 trillion KRW. Seoul City stated, "This year, flood prevention projects in Gangseo-gu Office Intersection, Oryu Stream, and the Gildong area will be completed, and areas such as Gangnam Station, Sadang Station, Mangwon, and Gwanghwamun will be gradually finalized." They added, "By next year, about 78,000 households that suffered large-scale flood damage in the past will be relieved of flood concerns."

Alongside this, the city is preparing the '2030 Flood and Wind Disaster Countermeasures' to respond to rapidly changing climate conditions and plans to strengthen response strategies utilizing Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. By October 15, a 'Flood and Wind Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' consisting of 49 practical departments and 13 teams, led by the mayor as the head, will be organized and operated. Under a three-stage emergency alert system classified according to the scale and intensity of heavy rain or typhoons, human and material resources will be mobilized to respond to flood and wind disasters.

Prior to this, from March to April, a total of 13 inspections were conducted, completing joint inspections and safety measures at 28 sites vulnerable to flood and wind disasters, including riverside construction sites, rainwater pumping stations, storage tanks (rainwater storage facilities), and sewage pipeline new construction and expansion sites. In particular, as part of improving the safety system for large construction sites, heavy rain warnings are sent in real-time from the Korea Meteorological Administration directly to construction-related personnel, enabling quick on-site response.

Furthermore, dredging and cleaning of sewage pipelines (2,746 km), cleaning of rainwater inlets (860,000 units), river dredging (60,000 tons), and inspections of 2,400 vulnerable facilities such as slopes, retaining walls, and embankments were completed. All flood-related institutions including Seoul City, autonomous districts, and related organizations have completed unified inspections of flood control facilities and flood-vulnerable areas in preparation for the rainy season.

Since citizen interest and active participation are essential for disaster damage prevention, disaster safety publicity will also be strengthened. A 'Safety Action Guide' video was produced to prevent isolation accidents caused by rapidly rising river waters during heavy rain. For Dorimcheon and Jeongneungcheon, where isolation accidents frequently occur, local civic groups and river patrol teams will be formed to continuously monitor the sites.

Additionally, flood sensors have been installed on roads in Gangnam and Sinwol, where road flooding frequently occurs, allowing real-time monitoring of floodwater levels on the roads.

Mayor Park Won-soon said, "It is better to respond excessively rather than insufficiently to various disasters," and urged, "When weather warnings are issued this summer, citizens should actively respond to flood and wind disasters by quickly removing rainwater inlet covers in front of their homes and installing water-blocking boards at their entrances."

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