Director Lee Hangyeong of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters Inspects the Hwaseong Water Pollution Incident Site

Chemical Substances and Firefighting Water Released into River Due to Fire on the 9th
Director Lee: "Emergency Response System Activated in Preparation for Weekend Rain"

Lee Han-kyung, Director of the Disaster Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, inspected the disaster prevention site of a large-scale water pollution accident that occurred on the 12th in Yanggam-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi Province.

This water pollution accident occurred on the 9th due to a fire at a chemical storage warehouse, which caused chemicals stored in the warehouse and firefighting water to leak into a nearby stream. To prevent the spread of water pollutants, a chemical accident crisis alert at the 'Interest' level was issued the previous day.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

During the inspection, Director Lee received a report on the water pollution accident response situation from Hwaseong city officials and checked the progress of disaster prevention measures, including efforts to prevent the spread of water pollutants.

He then instructed local government officials and others to mobilize all available equipment and personnel to do their utmost to prevent the accident from spreading to the nearby national river. He also urged that all efforts be focused on preventing the spread of pollutants so that nearby residents do not experience inconvenience in their daily lives due to this water pollution accident.

Director Lee stated, "Especially with rain expected this weekend, the government will closely cooperate with local governments and related agencies to activate an emergency response system and take all necessary measures to ensure rapid on-site response in preparation for any worsening of damage or emergency situations."

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