Gwangju Nam-gu to Replace Old Water Meters for 'Heatwave Vulnerable Households'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] “The temperature suddenly rose and it was very hot, but when I spray water here and there with the newly installed misting hose, my mind quickly feels cool. I didn’t expect them to take care of even this, so I’m very grateful.”

Nam-gu, Gwangju, anticipating a severe heatwave this summer, has started replacing old water faucets with misting hoses and handy faucets that can be used to mitigate the heat island effect, aiming to help vulnerable groups endure the summer healthily.

According to Nam-gu on the 29th, the Happy Welfare 7979 Center is promoting the “Cool Summer Old Faucet Replacement Project” in areas densely populated with old houses within the district to prepare for the heatwave.

The reason for urgently replacing indoor and outdoor faucets in vulnerable households is that the APEC Climate Change Center forecasted in April, in its “East Asia Seasonal Climate Outlook from May to October this year,” that temperatures this summer will be higher than average.

Additionally, by replacing old and worn faucet facilities with new ones and spraying water, they aim to reduce the heat island effect caused by rising surface temperatures and wash away fine dust, providing a comfortable living environment.

In fact, last year, Nam-gu received great responses by replacing old faucets in 20 elderly households living alone in old houses in Sajik-dong, Wolsan-dong, and Juwol 2-dong to prepare for the heatwave.

Accordingly, Nam-gu plans to expand the project scope this year and complete the old faucet replacement project by mid-June for 30 vulnerable households in eight neighborhoods with a high density of old houses, including Sajik-dong, Wolsan-dong, Wolsan 4 and 5-dong, Bangnim 1 and 2-dong, and Juwol 1 and 2-dong.

The faucet facilities provided to these households will include cleaning and misting hoses, sprayers, one-touch couplers that firmly fix water pipes, and considering that rusty faucets are difficult for elderly residents to use, they plan to replace them with hand-type faucets that are easy to turn with a handle.

A Nam-gu official stated, “The old faucet replacement work will be supported by three partner companies of the Happy Welfare 7979 Center,” and added, “We will carry out meticulous administration that carefully checks even the most remote places for the happiness of vulnerable residents in the district.”