Gwangju Nam-gu Expands Creation of Heatwave Safe Villages

Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is expanding the Heatwave Safety Village initiative to enhance the safety of vulnerable residents such as the elderly and elderly living alone during heatwaves.

On the 27th, Nam-gu announced, "We have been selected for the 2024 Climate Change Vulnerable Groups and Vulnerable Areas Public Contest Project hosted by the Ministry of Environment, and will officially begin the Heatwave Safety Village construction project in the Sajik-dong area starting next year."

Nam-gu achieved the distinction of being selected for the Ministry of Environment’s public contest project for two consecutive years, following last year.

In particular, as a result of last year’s selection, the Heatwave Safety Village project began this year in the Wolsan-dong area, installing cool roofs and cool walls that provide excellent heat blocking and energy cost reduction effects. With this year’s selection, the expansion of Heatwave Safety Villages within the district is expected to gain momentum.

Accordingly, Nam-gu plans to invest 300 million KRW next year to actively promote the Heatwave Safety Village project in the Sajik-dong area.

The reason for conducting the project in Sajik-dong is that the proportion of climate change vulnerable groups relative to the population is significantly higher than the district average.

The proportion of elderly aged 65 and over is 25.66%, greatly exceeding the district average of 17.46%, and the proportion of basic livelihood security recipients and disabled persons also reaches 9.65%, higher than the district average.

Therefore, Nam-gu plans to install cool roofs and cool walls that block heat inflow and lower indoor temperatures at 30 vulnerable households in the Sajik-dong area, as well as at eight multi-use facilities frequently visited by vulnerable residents, including senior centers, elderly welfare centers, and social welfare centers.

Cool roofs and cool walls are heatwave prevention facilities that reflect sunlight absorbed by the exterior surfaces of buildings by applying functional heat-blocking paint on rooftops and walls, thereby improving cooling efficiency and reducing energy costs.

A Nam-gu official stated, "Due to the severe heatwaves and tropical nights caused by rising summer temperatures, the healthy lives of climate change vulnerable residents are threatened, which led us to promote the Heatwave Safety Village project in Sajik-dong. We will accelerate the project to protect residents’ lives and reduce energy costs."

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