Nowon-gu Assigns Management Numbers to 20,200 Storm Drains and Appoints 'Our Neighborhood Storm Drain Guardians'

Nation's First Complete Management Number System Established for All 22,000 Rainwater Inlets in the Area
Over 2,000 'Our Neighborhood Rainwater Inlet Guardians' Appointed for Thorough Rainwater Inlet Management

Examples of Civil Complaints Using Smartphones

It is expected that heavy rainfall will occur this summer due to abnormal weather conditions.

Nowon-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will make an all-out effort to respond quickly and systematically to heavy rain by utilizing the 'Smart Rainwater Inlet Management System' developed over eight months.

A ‘rainwater inlet’ is an important flood control facility that discharges road rainwater during rainfall to prevent flooding accidents. Recently, as localized heavy rain exceeding 50mm per hour has become frequent, the role of rainwater inlets in excluding initial rainfall has become more important than ever.

The district has a total of 22,000 rainwater inlets installed, which are cleaned more than twice a year with a significant budget. However, they are quickly clogged with trash or fallen leaves, and are often illegally covered with cardboard boxes or mats. Despite these occurrences happening frequently, the number of civil complaints is low. Even when such sites are discovered, reporting takes a lot of time and effort, and even if a report is made, it is practically difficult to respond urgently because the exact location of the reported rainwater inlet cannot be identified.

To solve these problems, the district developed the Nowon-type 'Smart Rainwater Inlet Management System,' the first of its kind nationwide, which allows for ‘easy reporting and rapid processing.’

First, a full survey was conducted on all 22,000 rainwater inlets in the area. GPS coordinates were obtained for each rainwater inlet, and a ‘Smart Rainwater Inlet Map’ was created to allow a comprehensive view of the status of rainwater inlets in Nowon-gu. Additionally, a ‘Smart Rainwater Inlet Number Plate’ was attached to every rainwater inlet to accurately identify the reporting location.

The number plate displays the unique ID of the rainwater inlet and includes a QR code for civil complaint reporting. For residents who have difficulty using smartphones, a direct contact number of the person in charge is also provided. Nowon-gu is the first local government in the country to provide address-based services and attach reporting number plates to all rainwater inlets, completing a flood response system.

Furthermore, the convenience of reporting was enhanced by developing a dedicated rainwater inlet reporting platform (WEB/APP). The platform applies Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology so that when the ‘Smart Rainwater Inlet Number Plate’ is photographed, the management number (ID) is automatically detected. Reporting history is accumulated in the platform data, allowing analysis of areas and periods where rainwater inlet blockages are concentrated, which is expected to enable more efficient flood preparedness.

To operate the ‘Smart Rainwater Inlet Management System’ efficiently, the district appointed about 2,000 local residents as 'Our Neighborhood Rainwater Inlet Guardians.' These guardians, while engaged in their livelihoods, patrol the rainwater inlets around their homes and shops, immediately remove illegal covers, and report any blockages or defects to the district office.

The rainwater inlet guardians consist of 500 cleaning workers for back alleys (senior citizen jobs), 720 community leaders, 170 environmental officers, 20 parking enforcement officers, 20 illegal dumping enforcement officers, 450 members of the Nowon-gu Certified Real Estate Agents Association, 100 local merchants such as pharmacies and coffee shops, and 20 Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) meter readers. This comprehensive composition ensures that no rainwater inlet in back alleys or narrow streets is overlooked and that all are managed thoroughly.

To concretize these efforts, on June 13, a business agreement (MOU) was signed with KEPCO MCS Seoul Branch to support rainwater inlet patrols using electric meter readers. On July 3, additional MOUs were signed consecutively with the Nowon-gu branch of the Korea Association of Certified Real Estate Agents and the Nowon-gu branch of the Seoul Automobile Specialized Repair Business Association (Carforce).

Going forward, the district plans to encourage and actively discover resources from professional organizations such as the food service industry to make all-out efforts to prevent flood damage.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “Unprecedented heavy rains are becoming frequent due to abnormal climate,” and added, “We will mobilize all administrative power to manage the important facility of rainwater inlets to prevent flooding and strive to create a living environment where residents can feel safe.”