Protecting the Lives and Property of Pohang Citizens... Full Effort for Local River Disaster Recovery

Pohang City is making every effort to restore five local rivers, including Naengcheon and Chilseongcheon, which were damaged by Typhoon Hinnamnor last September.

Gyeongbuk Province and Pohang City have selected soil removal and sale as the preliminary tasks for the local river disaster restoration project and are focusing on project implementation. The planned soil removal volume to secure the flow cross-section of the five local rivers is approximately 1.15 million cubic meters, equivalent to about 130,000 15-ton dump trucks.

Accordingly, on the 23rd, Pohang City Hall held an “Emergency Countermeasure Meeting for Soil Removal to Secure Flow Cross-Section of Local Rivers Damaged by Hinnamnor” to expedite project progress, discussing additional soil removal securing measures and detailed plan establishment. Currently, a soil yard capable of handling 400,000 cubic meters has been secured, allowing smooth external removal.

The emergency soil removal target volume before the rainy season and typhoon occurrence is ▲Naengcheon about 250,000 cubic meters ▲Chilseongcheon about 35,000 cubic meters ▲Singwangcheon 15,000 cubic meters ▲Daehwacheon 25,000 cubic meters ▲Janggicheon 75,000 cubic meters. To secure soil yards for the remaining removal volume, consultations with related organizations continue, and aggregate sales are also being promoted concurrently.

So far, about 130,000 cubic meters of soil removal has been completed at five local river disaster restoration sites, with progress of ▲Naengcheon about 100,000 cubic meters ▲Chilseongcheon about 15,000 cubic meters ▲Janggicheon 15,000 cubic meters respectively.

The downstream section of Naengcheon from Indeokgyo Bridge towards downstream is a densely populated residential area with houses and apartments and includes major national industrial complexes, so dredging is being prioritized and the flow cross-section expanded to prevent damage.

Prior to the full-scale disaster restoration project, emergency restoration work invested 1.3 billion KRW in equipment costs to build tonmadae (stone embankments), dredge the river, and remove obstructive trees that hinder water flow. Additionally, during the Naengcheon Hometown River project, about 90,000 cubic meters of soil was dredged, equivalent to about 10,000 15-ton dump trucks.

In particular, to enhance project efficiency and protect residents’ lives and property, work is being prioritized in densely populated residential areas, vulnerable sections with high risk of river damage, and flood defense wall installation areas.

Along with this, in December last year, a residents’ briefing session on the disaster restoration project for the five local rivers was held to collect residents’ suggestions and reflect them in the design. Continuous communication and cooperation with local residents will be maintained during project implementation to enable prompt restoration.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “We will devote all efforts to project implementation through continuous cooperation with Gyeongbuk Province,” adding, “We will strive to build a ‘Safe City Pohang’ that can protect citizens’ lives and property even in emergency situations such as extreme heavy rain.”

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