Kim Jong-hyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju City, Checks Progress on Heatwave Countermeasures

Visiting Road Watering Sites and Heat Relief Shelter Senior Centers

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Jonghyo, Deputy Mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, visited the water spraying operation site and a cooling shelter at a senior center to inspect the progress of heatwave countermeasures.

According to Gwangju City on the 26th, this inspection was carried out to check whether any blind spots in heatwave measures have occurred due to the recent continuous heatwaves and tropical nights.

First, at the main arterial road water spraying operation site in Sangmu District, Seo-gu, where there is heavy citizen movement and a concentration of high-rise buildings, he boarded a water spraying vehicle to thoroughly inspect the operation status and listen to any difficulties.

The water spraying operation reduces radiant heat, lowers the temperature of roads and surrounding areas, and alleviates the urban heat island effect, thereby preventing heat-related illnesses and heatwave damage. It also helps prevent safety accidents caused by road pavement deformation and reduces fine dust.

Additionally, to prevent heat-related illnesses among the elderly, he visited the Beodeul Village Sangmu Jugong 2nd Complex Senior Center in Seo-gu, which operates as a cooling shelter, to check the operation status such as whether air conditioners are running. While checking on the health of the elderly, he urged participation in a healthy summer by following heatwave action guidelines and COVID-19 quarantine rules.

Deputy Mayor Kim said, "With the continuous heatwave day after day, there are concerns about heatwave damage occurring," and added, "Please refrain from outdoor activities as much as possible and practice heatwave preparedness behavior in daily life, such as drinking water frequently."

Meanwhile, Gwangju City operates 28 water spraying vehicles on 50 routes to prevent heatwave damage, has expanded cooling shelters to 1,500 locations, and supports a total of 900 million KRW including cooling costs.