Guro-gu Develops Improvement Measures to Prevent Flood Damage

[Seoul District News] Guro-gu Improves Mokgamcheon Cutoff Wall Management and Operation Plan & Installation of Rainwater Pump Station Status Display... Dongjak-gu Conducts Joint Inspections of 54 Fire-Vulnerable Construction Sites by Year-End... Seojin Construction, HDC Hyundai Development, and Others Continue Flood Recovery Support in Dongjak-gu & Darae World Donates Quarantine Supplies to Low-Income Families in Geumcheon-gu

Installation of step board

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Guro-gu (District Mayor Moon Heon-il) announced that it will prepare improvement measures to minimize flood damage caused by localized heavy rain.

Regarding the heavy rain that occurred on August 8-9, District Mayor Moon Heon-il instructed the relevant departments to devise solutions to address complaints about problems in the operation and management of the Mokgamcheon floodgates.

Under current regulations, when the district decides to install floodgates anticipating river overflow, district office or partner company personnel are dispatched to the site to install and remove the gates, making it difficult to respond promptly in emergencies.

Therefore, Guro-gu plans to expand the floodgate installation managers beyond the district office’s Water Management Division to include local residents such as community centers and neighborhood leaders, sharing the floodgate locking devices (keys) with the community to strengthen the emergency response system.

The Mokgamcheon floodgates are devices to prevent river overflow as the Mokgamcheon bridge is lower than the planned flood level. Expanding the number of managers will enable faster installation, which is expected to help reduce damage caused by heavy rain.

The district will conduct training for floodgate installation managers among Mokgamcheon local residents and place manuals such as floodgate installation procedures at the site.

Additionally, the district will invest 500 million KRW from the disaster management fund to install operation status electronic display boards at 24 locations, including eight rainwater pumping stations near residential areas and 16 simple rainwater pumping stations, and replace outdated control equipment at 14 simple rainwater pumping stations.

Previously, the warning lights inside the rainwater pumping station control panels had low visibility, making it difficult to confirm operation status.

The district plans to install electronic display boards in highly visible locations and share real-time rainwater pumping station operation status on the district office website to ensure reliability and transparency in flood control operations.

A Guro-gu official said, “We will carefully prepare response measures tailored to the field situation and promptly supplement and maintain any shortcomings to thoroughly prepare for unpredictable disasters such as heavy rain.”

Dongjak-gu (District Mayor Park Il-ha) is conducting ‘Safety Management Compliance Inspections and Preventive Activities for Welding Work’ targeting public and private construction sites in the area.

This inspection was specially requested by District Mayor Park Il-ha to prevent recurrence of accidents like the Icheon logistics center fire, focusing on safety inspections of construction sites with welding and gas work processes, which are major causes of large fires.

Starting from the 29th, the district will begin a full inspection of 54 construction sites scheduled for welding work, in cooperation with experts from the local Building Safety Center.

Main inspection items include ▲ protective measures for flammable materials near fire work and placement of fire extinguishers ▲ prevention of sparks and flying embers ▲ welding work sites at large, medium, and small construction sites.

In particular, five public new construction sites including Sangdo 4-dong Youth Housing, Jangseungbaegi Comprehensive Administrative Town, and Bondong Comprehensive Social Welfare Center will strengthen meticulous safety management and on-site inspections to prevent safety accidents during welding work.

Furthermore, the district will intensify patrols and inspections of pipelines and supply facilities at 21 local city gas construction sites and guide and inspect strict compliance with safety rules to prevent accidents.

District Mayor Park Il-ha emphasized, “Welding fires at construction sites can lead to major accidents from small carelessness. We will actively promote fire prevention safety rules as well as conduct regular inspections.”

In Dongjak-gu (District Mayor Park Il-ha), where significant damage occurred due to the heaviest rainfall in 115 years, warm-hearted support for recovery efforts continues.

On the 19th, HDC Hyundai Development Company stepped forward to support recovery work for flooded households.

They are providing cleaning, furniture repair, and electrical inspections, as well as replacing wallpaper and flooring contaminated by floodwater for 200 vulnerable households, including basic livelihood security recipients and elderly living alone, in areas such as Sadang 1-dong and Sangdo 3 and 4-dong where recovery is urgent.

An elderly resident who received help said, “After my house was flooded, I was very overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do, but I am grateful to those who worked hard for the recovery.”

Also, on the 22nd, District Mayor Park Il-ha met with Shin Myung-jin, chairman of Seojin Construction, to hold a donation ceremony for disaster recovery and support for flood victims.

Seojin Construction reportedly voluntarily donated 100 million KRW, with affiliated companies of the Seojin Construction Group participating in fundraising.

The district is intensively promoting the ‘Heavy Rain Damage Recovery Support Fundraising Campaign’ through the Seoul Social Welfare Community Chest until August 31.

Participation methods include cash or in-kind donations such as hygiene and daily necessities to the Dongjak-gu dedicated fundraising account at the Seoul Social Welfare Community Chest. Fundraising will continue even after the intensive period to support disaster relief activities.

The donated relief funds and contributions will be used for flood recovery in heavily damaged areas, production of relief supply sets, provision of daily necessities to disaster victims, and support for vulnerable groups and families in crisis.

District Mayor Park Il-ha said, “We thank everyone who has shown warm hearts during this time of great need due to the heavy rain damage. We are doing our best to have the area promptly designated as a special disaster zone to help residents quickly return to normal life and work.”

Geumcheon-gu (District Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon) announced on the 24th that Darae World donated 10,000 hand sanitizers and over 2,000 kitchen detergents (worth approximately 173.4 million KRW).

The donated items will be delivered to low-income neighbors in the area through social welfare facilities and institutions.

Darae World is a company located in Doksan 1-dong and is in a business agreement with The Geumha Cooperative, a village enterprise for urban regeneration, promoting various support projects nationwide for underprivileged groups through local connections, including daily necessities and disinfectants.

Geumcheon-gu Mayor Yoo Seong-hoon said, “We appreciate Darae World for continuously practicing sharing and will do our best to connect private social contribution activities to places where they are needed.”