[Seoul District News] Eunpyeong-gu Extends Operation of 167 Heat Relief Centers, Adds 10 Shade Tents, Operates Smart Shelters at Bus Stops, Expands Water Cleaning Hours, Deploys Additional Private Water Trucks... Nowon-gu Launches Healing Refrigerator and Healing Parasol Rental Projects to Protect Residents from Summer Heat-Related Illnesses... Dongdaemun-gu Jeonnong 1·2-dong, Dapsimni 1·2-dong, Jangan 2-dong, Hwikyung 2-dong Volunteer Camps Participate in Seoul Volunteer Center’s ‘Eoreumttaeng Campaign’... Gwangjin-gu Provides Safety Kits to 108 Elderly Recycling Collectors
Kim Mi-kyung, head of Eunpyeong District Office, urged related departments to focus on preventing heatwave damage during a disaster safety measures meeting for the summer season.
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Eunpyeong-gu (Mayor Kim Mi-kyung) is making every effort to implement comprehensive measures to prevent heatwave damage as this summer is expected to have higher-than-average temperatures.
Mayor Kim Mi-kyung of Eunpyeong-gu recently urged related departments to focus on preventing heatwave damage during a disaster safety meeting for the summer season.
The district will engage in all-out activities to prevent heatwave damage, including operating cooling shelters, installing shade structures, deploying water spraying trucks, and conducting safety inspections.
First, to protect vulnerable groups from the heatwave, 167 welfare facilities such as community centers, welfare centers, and senior citizen centers will be designated and opened as cooling shelters until the end of September. For residents living in poor housing conditions, safe accommodations to avoid tropical nights will also be provided until next month.
Cooling shelters will operate regularly from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. During heatwave warnings, operating hours will be extended to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
As part of heatwave damage reduction measures, water cleaning will be expanded and additional private water spraying trucks will be deployed. When a heatwave warning is issued, water cleaning hours will be extended by more than one hour, focusing spraying work between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., with two additional large private water spraying trucks added for a total of nine trucks in operation. According to the district, the temperature reduction effect from water cleaning was confirmed to be 6.4℃ on road surfaces and 1.5℃ (perceived temperature 3℃) on surrounding sidewalks.
Ten additional shade structures will be installed at crosswalks and traffic islands in areas with high pedestrian traffic, increasing the total to 84 locations. Locations with high demand and insufficient shade will be selected to install and operate one smart shade structure and nine fixed shade structures.
In the future, nine bus stops in the district will be equipped with air-conditioned ‘Smart Shelters.’ These ‘Smart Shelters’ have a sealed structure that blocks hot outside air and are equipped with cooling facilities inside to alleviate residents’ discomfort caused by the heat.
Safety inspections will be conducted to prevent fires at heatwave-vulnerable facilities. Inspection targets include gas supply facilities and gas stations. Promotional activities will also be carried out to raise safety awareness during summer and prevent gas-related accidents. Heatwave warning situations will be disseminated via the district website and SNS, along with information on gas safety management and procedures for long-term gas non-use.
Mayor Kim Mi-kyung of Eunpyeong-gu said, “Please refrain from outdoor activities during the hottest midday hours and drink water frequently, following basic safety rules. We will do our utmost to implement heatwave prevention measures so that all residents can have a healthy and safe summer.”
Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will operate a Healing Refrigerator and Healing Parasol rental service to protect residents from heat-related illnesses during the summer.
The ‘Healing Refrigerator’ is a representative heatwave countermeasure that the district has been implementing for three years since 2020. Last year, it received enthusiastic responses from residents, with an average of 62,000 bottles of water consumed daily and a total of about 2.6 million bottles over 42 days.
This year, it will operate from July 16 to August 31. It will be available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., supplying 70,000 bottles of 330ml water in eight rounds daily.
The Healing Refrigerators can be found at 17 locations along riversides and walking trails frequently used by residents. Along riversides, they are installed at five locations on Jungnangcheon, two on Danghyeoncheon, one on Uicheon, and one on Mukdongcheon, totaling nine locations. Along walking trails, they are installed at the Suraksan Barrier-Free Forest Trail, three locations on Yeongchuksan Circular Trail, two on Gyeongchun Line Trail, Bulamsan Butterfly Garden, and Gyeongchun Line Light Garden, totaling eight locations.
To protect the environment, water is provided in 100% recyclable label-free water bottles, and recycling bins are installed next to the Healing Refrigerators to encourage separate collection.
Additionally, starting this year, a ‘Healing Parasol Rental Station’ will operate next to the refrigerators, lending parasols to residents free of charge.
The parasols are made with fabric that blocks up to 99% of ultraviolet rays and feature a sky-blue background with the Nowon-gu emblem, giving a cool feeling.
There are eight parasol rental stations located at Nowon Bridge, Jungnangcheon Overpass, Changdong Bridge, Gyeongchun Railroad Bridge, Hancheon Bridge, Children’s Traffic Park, Seongseo University Ground Fountain, and Bulamsan Butterfly Garden. They are mainly installed in riverside areas without shade and next to Healing Refrigerators with high resident usage.
The Healing Parasols can be used from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., the same hours as the Healing Refrigerators. Anyone can borrow a parasol for free by presenting an ID and filling out a rental and return log. For user convenience, parasols can be returned to any of the eight rental stations, not necessarily the one where they were borrowed.
The operation of the Healing Refrigerators and Healing Parasol rental stations is supported by a voluntary disaster prevention group consisting of 130 volunteers. Detailed operation information and locations can be found on the Nowon-gu Office website and official blog.
The district is implementing various practical heatwave countermeasures to help residents have a safe and enjoyable summer.
For pedestrians, 10 additional fixed shade structures have been installed, operating at a total of 118 locations. Water park-type and air bounce-type water play areas totaling 14 locations are operated by region to help residents overcome the heat.
Especially for the elderly vulnerable to heat, 246 ‘Cooling Shelters’ are available to escape the midday heat. During heatwave warnings in the evening, the district cooperates with local hotels to operate ‘Nighttime Elderly Cooling Shelters’ for low-income elderly living alone, among other efforts to protect residents from heatwaves.
Mayor Oh Seung-rok of Nowon-gu said, “I hope the Healing Refrigerators and Healing Parasols will help residents overcome the heat this summer. We will implement systematic heatwave countermeasures to ensure all residents can safely get through this summer.”
“Elderly people who come to the park to endure the heat are very pleased when we greet them with cool drinks.” (Volunteer worker at Jangan 2-dong Volunteer Camp)
“I was surprised by the unexpectedly large number of ice packs donated by residents. Using unused ice packs to share cool drinks with neighbors suffering from the heat also provided an opportunity to think about environmental issues.” (Volunteer worker at Dapsimni 1-dong Volunteer Camp)
Six volunteer camps in Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) are conducting sharing activities by distributing cool drinks to residents struggling with the heat using discarded ice packs.
The ‘Ice-ddaeng Campaign,’ a summer volunteer camp joint project hosted by the Seoul Volunteer Center, collects ice packs donated by local residents at volunteer camps to create shared refrigerators using iceboxes and distributes cool drinks to neighbors vulnerable to heat and outdoor workers.
Jeonnong 1 & 2-dong, Dapsimni 1 & 2-dong, Jangan 2-dong, and Hwikyung 2-dong are participating in this campaign. After preparation activities such as collecting ice packs and promotion from the 1st to the 15th, they began full-scale drink distribution activities on the 16th and will conclude the campaign on the 26th.
Notably, this campaign increased local resident participation by collaborating with the Seoul Volunteer Center and the local-based secondhand goods trading application Danggeun Market to promote the campaign and volunteer camps.
Jang Yong-seok, Director of Welfare Policy, said, “Amid the hot and humid weather, I hope this Ice-ddaeng Campaign provided neighbors suffering from the double hardship of social isolation and heatwave a chance to forget the heat for a moment and feel the warmth of community.”
Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) is providing heatwave safety kits to recycling collectors to help them have a safe and cool summer.
The district enacted the Ordinance on Support for Recycling Collectors in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, in 2018 to establish a system to secure income and stable independence for recycling collectors.
The kits provided this time include safety vests made of mesh material that are highly visible at night, portable safety lights, and heatwave protection items such as cool arm sleeves, cool scarves, and hats.
The support targets 108 recycling collectors, and the kits were directly delivered to recipients at community centers by the 22nd.
Previously, in November last year, the district conducted winter traffic safety education for collectors and provided cold-weather safety supplies.
Since 2019, the district has also been running the nation’s first differential support project to compensate for the drop in paper recycling prices.
The district sets the appropriate paper price at 70 won per kilogram and supports collectors with the difference from the actual price. Support is provided for up to 150 kg per person per day, with about 200 million won provided over the past three years.
Mayor Kim Kyung-ho of Gwangjin-gu said, “We have provided these kits to help collectors stay safe during the heatwave. We will continue to strive to ensure that collectors can work healthily and safely.”
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