[Insight & Opinion] SOC Investment for Safety Is True Welfare

After escaping the highway where heavy rain and thunder roared, a long line of vehicles fills the road. Weather alerts from the Meteorological Administration warning of heavy rain repeatedly overlap on the car navigation system, which changes moment by moment. The tunnel entrance is submerged, and the flashing lights of police officers wearing raincoats blink.

Turning the direction and driving for a while, the academy intersection where my daughter is waiting comes into view. I only need to pass the intersection, but suddenly the traffic comes to a halt. The road turns into chaos due to illegal U-turn vehicles. The rain intensifies, making it impossible to see ahead. Curious, I lean out and see that the city bus window in the middle of the intersection is half submerged. Several passenger cars are floating in the water. The intersection has turned into a river.

Reluctantly, I join the line of illegal U-turns. I park the car on the relatively safe shoulder. The intersection has been submerged for a long time, and many people cross the flooded road, cutting through the water without concern. I cannot avoid joining their procession. Water seeps into my pants, soaking my underwear. The "river" is rising, already above my waist. Many people are filming the scene with their cell phones. Police officers inside the police station right next to the intersection are helpless. They watch silently as citizens wade through the water. After barely swimming across the intersection, I receive a call from my wife. She says the water is out at home, there is a power outage, and it would be better to stay at a nearby hotel. The place I barely reach with my daughter is fully booked. I start calling several nearby hotels. Finally, I find one with a vacancy and rush there, arriving well past midnight. Regaining my composure and looking out the window, the rain is easing.

This is my actual experience from the afternoon to midnight on August 8, 2022. It is hard to believe this happened in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. It feels like a disaster movie. The next morning’s news reported that a brother and sister who fell into a manhole went missing, and someone died from electrocution. It is a tragedy. The thought that I could have fallen into a manhole while crossing the intersection last night sends chills down my spine.

Last week, the Seoul metropolitan area experienced concentrated heavy rain exceeding 140mm per hour, causing road flooding, dozens of deaths, and thousands of disaster victims. Due to the climate change crisis, the world is suffering from natural disasters such as heatwaves, heavy rain, and heavy snow. South Korea has long faced annual climate change damages. Nevertheless, appropriate countermeasures or disaster management manuals by administrative authorities do not seem to function properly. How long must citizens remain helpless against repeated disasters?

The South Korean government’s annual budget exceeds 600 trillion won, and Seoul’s annual budget exceeds 40 trillion won. Despite managing such enormous budgets, it is unbelievable that a few hours of rain can paralyze urban functions to this extent.

Climate change patterns will worsen further. We must promptly revise design standards for urban and architectural facilities and swiftly establish preventive disaster measures for existing facilities.

Although welfare budgets of the government and local governments increase every year, it is questionable whether the welfare level felt by citizens is also improving. True welfare should be about solving the inconveniences of the majority of citizens and protecting their lives and property. Experts in urban architecture have proposed constructing deep drainage tunnels as a solution to habitual flood zones occurring every year. However, the previous government excessively cut related budgets due to opposition from environmental groups and negative perceptions of civil engineering projects. What is true welfare?

An interview with a flood victim I heard on the radio the next day lingers in my ears: "Water is not coming out, so life is very inconvenient. Isn’t the basic of human life eating and excreting?" Solving the problems of eating and excreting might be true welfare.

Cha Hee-seong, Professor, Department of Architecture, Ajou University