[Seoul District News] Expansion of Care Services for Flood-Prone Households Including Banjiha and Promotion of Safety Floodgates Installation & Installation of Fall Prevention Facilities in Sewer Manholes & Priority Installation in Areas with Manhole Opening Concerns and Low-Lying Areas
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Ilhyung Lee) is taking measures to prevent casualties following the recent heavy rainfall.
The district is implementing safety measures to prevent casualties, such as expanding care services, installing safety floodgates in semi-basement homes, and installing fall-prevention facilities on sewer manholes, in response to numerous accidents caused by semi-basement houses and manholes during the recent heavy rains in the Seoul metropolitan area and central regions.
Previously, one public official cared for 2 to 3 neighboring care households related to flood damage, but to maximize the effectiveness of care services, two or more officials will now be assigned to manage one household exclusively.
Additionally, in the event of heavy rainfall, safety floodgates will be installed to prevent casualties among vulnerable residents such as the elderly and mobility-impaired individuals living in semi-basement homes.
The safety floodgate features a water detection sensor that triggers an automatic alarm system when flooding exceeds 40cm. The lower part functions as a flood barrier, while the upper part can be opened and closed separately as a door, preventing accidental situations where the door cannot be opened during flooding, thus ensuring safe escape.
In particular, the district plans to install IoT sensors on the safety floodgates to enable immediate contact with the care officials responsible for the household and the district control room when the automatic alarm is triggered, ensuring rapid and thorough prevention of safety accidents.
To prevent safety accidents such as casualties caused by sewer manhole cover openings, fall-prevention facilities will also be installed on sewer manholes. These facilities will be prioritized for areas where manhole openings are likely due to water volume and pressure during heavy rain, as well as low-lying areas prone to road flooding.
For this purpose, a preliminary survey will be conducted on 377 sewer manholes, including circular manholes expected to experience sewer backflow and low-lying roads vulnerable to flooding.
Ilhyung Lee, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “Due to recent climate crises causing unpredictable natural disasters, it has become difficult to forecast what kind of natural disaster may occur, making it urgent to prepare preventive measures. We will take proactive steps not only to prevent casualties during this heavy rainfall but also to protect residents’ safety against various climate anomalies.”
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