"Beat the Heat"... Changwon Special City Launches Proactive Heatwave Measures That Citizens Can Feel

Ensuring Worker Safety and Early, Full Operation of Urban Heat Island Mitigation Facilities
Including Cooling Fog Systems

Changwon Special City in South Gyeongsang Province announced that, in order to help citizens cope with the heat, it will implement proactive heatwave countermeasures that can be felt by residents, in line with the issuance of the "Attention" level disaster crisis alert, through September 30.

The Climate and Environment Bureau will form an in-house inspection team by May 22 to check whether heat-related illness prevention measures are being implemented for 1,153 field workers at environmental basic facilities and other relevant sites. In addition, the operational status of 10 heatwave mitigation facilities designed to alleviate the urban heat island effect will also be intensively inspected.

Site where water was sprayed on the urban heating cable.
[Photo provided by Changwon City]

First, the city will strengthen education on preventive measures and body temperature checks for environmental field workers and employees of environmental basic facilities and waste management contractors, who are especially vulnerable to heatwaves due to frequent outdoor work.

In the event of a heatwave, environmental basic facilities will extend break times, and outdoor worksites will ensure that workers take sufficient breaks every hour if the perceived temperature reaches 33°C or higher. Furthermore, if a heatwave warning is issued, personnel will be immediately moved indoors, and work hours will be adjusted flexibly to prioritize worker safety above all else.

At the same time, the city will conduct a comprehensive inspection of heatwave mitigation facilities that help cool citizens during the hot weather. For the eight "cooling fog" installations, which use tap water, filter checks and replacements have been completed. These operate automatically when the temperature exceeds 28°C.

On Bongyang-ro in the Hoewon District, the "Cooling & Clean Road" system will spray water on the road surface when the temperature exceeds 30°C, lowering the road temperature by an average of 5.4°C. The "Hyeondong Mul-gil Rest Area," which is equipped with a water channel facility, will begin full operation in July after regular cleaning has been completed.

Yu Jeong Lee, Director of the Climate and Environment Bureau, stated, "As heatwaves intensify due to climate change, proactive prevention is crucial. We will do our utmost to thoroughly protect the safety of field workers and manage heatwave mitigation facilities efficiently so that citizens can have a safe summer."

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