Seoul City Intensively Manages Waterworks Construction Sites and Facilities During Summer

425 Sites Comprehensive Inspection

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will conduct intensive safety inspections of waterworks construction sites and facilities to ensure the stable supply of tap water and the safe progress of construction during the summer season, which includes risks from floods, typhoons, and heatwaves.

On the 18th, Seoul announced that it had formed a Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on May 15 to prepare for heavy summer rains and typhoons, and completed a comprehensive inspection by mid-June of 425 major facilities, including waterworks construction sites across Seoul, six water intake stations, water purification centers, and reservoirs.

The operation period of the Flood and Typhoon Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters is five months, from May 15 to October 15, and a 24-hour situation room is operated with three alert levels?caution, warning, and severe?depending on weather conditions.

Flood preparedness includes not only safety management of construction sites and facilities but also strengthening raw water quality management to prepare for the issuance of algae bloom warnings caused by heavy rains or heatwaves. This involves thorough water quality inspections and securing chemicals. Additionally, eight waterworks offices operate emergency repair teams for rapid restoration in case of leaks.

Every year, safety inspections of outdoor construction sites during heatwaves are conducted with a focus on workers, with the heads of institutions visiting sites directly to listen to the voices of field workers and reflect their opinions. This process continues until the end of August to establish practical safety measures.

Meanwhile, from the 5th to the 7th of this month, the Seoul Waterworks Headquarters conducted a total of three safety training sessions for over 330 waterworks construction-related personnel, including construction managers, supervisors, and site managers. This training aims to prevent similar accidents by sharing frequently occurring accident cases and previously pointed-out issues during the summer season at construction sites.

Yoo Yeon-sik, head of the Seoul Waterworks Headquarters, said, “Since May, we have been strengthening safety management of waterworks construction sites and facilities to prepare for floods and typhoons. We will thoroughly inspect risk factors at sites caused by heavy rain and heatwaves in advance and ensure workers’ safety and stable drinking water supply through a 24-hour readiness system.”

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