Heavy Rain Measures Ordered by Yoon... 'Gangnam Rainwater Tunnel' to Be Reopened After All

Construction Planned for Gangnam, Dorimcheon, Gwanghwamun, etc.
Yoon: "Administrative Authority Change Causes Delays... Reconsidering Stormwater Tunnel Construction"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] As record-breaking heavy rain causes continuous damage after 80 years, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is resuming the construction of the 'Deep Underground Rainwater Storage and Drainage Facility,' capable of handling up to 110mm of rainwater per hour in flood-prone areas.

According to Seoul City on the 14th, the city and the government will invest 1.5 trillion KRW over the next 10 years to build rainwater storage and drainage facilities in six flood-prone areas. On the 10th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon issued a statement titled "We will make Seoul safe from heavy rain," announcing, "We will focus 1.5 trillion KRW over the next 10 years to resume the construction of rainwater storage and drainage facilities (deep underground tunnels) in six flood-prone areas, which had been suspended since 2011."

Previously, in 2011, Mayor Oh announced plans to build rainwater tunnels in seven locations, including Gwanghwamun and Gangnam Station, with a budget of 17 trillion KRW. However, after former Mayor Park Won-soon took office in October 2011, the plan was revised, and only one facility was constructed in Sinwol-dong.

In fact, the Yangcheon area, where the Sinwol rainwater storage and drainage facility with a storage capacity of 320,000 tons capable of handling 95-100mm of heavy rain per hour was built, experienced no flooding damage. In contrast, the Gangnam area, with a handling capacity of only 85mm per hour, suffered large-scale flood damage.

Therefore, the deep underground drainage tunnel construction for the six locations, which was suspended 10 years ago, will be resumed. In the first phase, facilities will be completed by 2027 in the Gangnam Station area, Dorimcheon, and Gwanghwamun. The second phase will involve constructing facilities in Sadang-dong, Dongjak-gu, Gangdong-gu, and Yongsan-gu.

Regarding this, President Yoon Suk-yeol also instructed a review of the rainwater tunnel construction, stating, "We will broadly discuss the flood and drainage tanks that Mayor Oh had prepared in the past but could not proceed with due to changes in city administration."