Ministry of the Interior and Safety Conducts Simultaneous Operation and Inspection Drills for Facilities in Preparation for Heavy Rainfall

Strengthening Response Capabilities through On-Site Training of Retention Facilities

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 1st, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that on the 2nd, it will conduct a comprehensive operation and on-site training of 90 excellent stormwater detention facilities nationwide. Stormwater detention facilities temporarily store rainwater when a large amount of rain falls in a short period due to recent abnormal weather, preventing flooding damage in low-lying urban areas.

Since April, a full inspection for the rainy season preparedness has been conducted twice nationwide on stormwater detention facilities in collaboration with private experts, and on-site corrective actions and improvements for deficiencies have been made.

This training aims to prevent flooding damage in urban areas by timely operating detention facilities managed by local governments during heavy summer rains, with participation from public officials responsible for stormwater detention facilities nationwide.

The training method, led by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will include video education followed by tabletop exercises and on-site training simulating actual situations. The video education will share the purpose and methods of the training and explain step-by-step rules necessary for operating and managing stormwater detention facilities, as well as ways to strengthen the situation management system.

The tabletop exercise assumes an extreme rainfall of 102mm per hour, reviewing local governments' operation manuals, verifying emergency contact networks, redefining individual duties and roles, and supplementing deficiencies through free discussions on emergency stage scenarios.

The on-site training involves directly operating various facilities such as drainage pumps, water level gauges, and movable weirs to check for normal operation, and inspecting the cleanliness of inlets, outlets, detention tanks, drainage facilities, and pipelines.

Ko Gwang-wan, Director of the Prevention and Safety Policy Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, “Pre-inspection and training in anticipation of heavy rain is the first step to preventing flood damage in summer, and we will do our best to manage so that no flooding damage occurs in areas near stormwater detention facilities this year.”

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