Gwangju Seo-gu Conducts Pollution Control Drill in Preparation for Gwangjucheon Water Pollution Incident

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 20th that it conducted an oil spill response drill on the 18th to establish an efficient containment and recovery system and to enhance rapid initial response capabilities in preparation for water pollution accidents caused by oil spills in the Gwangju Stream.

The drill was carried out under the crisis alert interest (BLUE) level, which does not affect other areas or water intake and purification plants, with about 10 Seo-gu office officials in attendance.

Seogu is conducting a pollution control drill in preparation for water pollution accidents at Gwangjucheon.
[Photo by Seogu]

Seo-gu assumed a situation where a passenger car overturned due to a traffic accident upstream of Gwangcheon 2 Bridge, spilling 50 liters of oil onto the road and flowing into the Gwangju Stream, reported by a witness. The drill proceeded in the following order: ▲ situation dissemination ▲ emergency deployment of containment personnel to the site ▲ blocking oil inflow into the water system (installation of oil fences) ▲ oil removal work using absorbent pads ▲ sample collection to check for oil spread after containment and reporting completion of containment work.

Park Jongcheol, Director of the Climate and Environment Division, said, “Through continuous drills, we will learn how to use containment equipment and improve on-site containment work capabilities to respond quickly and efficiently in the event of a large-scale water pollution accident, thereby preserving the environment and minimizing secondary damage.”

Shin Dongho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr