Songpa-gu Operates 'River Patrol Team' for River Management in Preparation for Heavy Rain

Songpa-gu, Thorough River Management to Prepare for Heavy Rain

Continuous Inspection of Disaster-Vulnerable Facilities in Tancheon, Seongnaecheon, Gamicheon, and Jangjicheon through Operation of ‘River Patrol Team’

Control of 128 Access Barriers on Four Rivers during Heavy Rain Forecasts, Focused Management on Flooding Situations and Evacuation Guidance

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) is thoroughly managing rivers in the area, considering the region’s characteristic of being surrounded by four rivers, to prevent safety accidents for residents from continuous heavy rain.

The district has activated the ‘Flood Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters’ for five months from May 15 to October 15 and is implementing meticulous river management, including the operation of the ‘River Patrol Team.’

Previously, to fundamentally prevent flood damage, inspections were conducted on six rainwater pumping stations in the area. Currently, Songpa-gu operates 59 ultra-powerful drainage pumps with a maximum of 1,200 horsepower across six rainwater pumping stations, which played a key role last year in preventing flood damage during a concentrated heavy rain of up to 400mm per day.

The district conducts joint patrols of the ‘River Patrol Team,’ composed of employees from Songpa-gu’s Water Management Division, Songpa Facilities Management Corporation, and Songpa Police Station, to inspect disaster-vulnerable facilities such as river structures and construction sites, maintain river facilities including embankments and revetments, and remove obstacles that hinder water flow within the rivers, minimizing damage to residents through thorough management.

In particular, the district focuses on controlling residents’ access during heavy rain to prevent river isolation accidents. To prepare for river flooding, a total of 128 access control facilities (20 remote-controlled, 108 manual) installed at entrances and exits of four rivers in the area are operated for rapid response.

For example, if sudden heavy rain or rising river levels in ‘Seongnaecheon’ pose a flood risk, the ‘River Patrol Team’ on standby at Seongnaecheon immediately deploys to block 75 manual access points, while the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters uses remote controllers to block 12 access points.

Simultaneously, evacuation guidance messages are displayed on the ‘Disaster Text Information System LED boards’ installed along Seongnaecheon, and voice announcements are broadcast throughout the river area. Following this, the ‘River Patrol Team’ conducts continuous patrols to guide residents who have not yet evacuated.

After the rain ends, the district monitors river levels and immediately begins restoration work on rivers returning to normal levels. Restrictions are lifted first in areas where maintenance such as cleaning walking paths and bicycle roads and repairing damaged river facilities is completed, ensuring residents’ convenience.

Meanwhile, Hwahae Village, which suffered significant damage from the concentrated heavy rain in the metropolitan area last August, has seen effective flood damage prevention through drainage reinforcement works completed in November of the same year, including installation of a 240m flood barrier wall, placement of 16 floodgates, and installation of 110m of continuous rainwater inlets.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, urged residents to refrain from entering rivers during heavy rain and to evacuate immediately, stating, “We will mobilize all administrative power to ensure safe river management so that residents can spend the summer safely without worry from natural disasters such as heavy rain and typhoons.”