Operation of Wildfire Prevention Headquarters Until May 15 During Spring Wildfire Caution Period
Smart Wildfire Monitoring Using Drones and Wildfire Black Box
Geumcheon-gu (Mayor Yu Seong-hoon) announced that it will operate a wildfire prevention headquarters to prevent loss of life and property damage to residents caused by wildfires during the spring wildfire caution period.
Recently, with the expansion of forest recreation facilities such as barrier-free forest trails in the area, resident usage has increased, and the risk of wildfires has risen due to various factors including climate change. Accordingly, the district has designated the period until May 15 as the spring wildfire caution period and plans to make every effort to prevent wildfires.
The district will promote smart wildfire prevention using drones. Following the introduction of drone safety monitoring for crime prevention last year, this year drones will be actively used for wildfire patrols and wildfire extinguishing training.
Drones are expected to help minimize patrol blind spots by overcoming the limitations of manpower patrols and monitoring wide areas such as steep forest zones.
The district has organized a firefighting team of public officials to be immediately deployed to the scene in case of wildfire occurrence and strengthened cooperation systems with related organizations such as Geumcheon Fire Station, police, and military units to enable rapid response.
In addition, to prevent wildfires, the district will strengthen on-site patrols by specialized wildfire prevention and firefighting teams and deploy inspectors to simultaneously educate and crack down on illegal activities in forests, cooking activities, possession of flammable materials, and smoking.
Furthermore, in wildfire-prone areas within Geumcheon-gu, wildfire extinguishing facilities (water curtain towers) will be installed for initial fire suppression, and a wildfire extinguishing system will be established by expanding water pipe diameters and increasing water pressure in the water supply system.
Yu Seong-hoon, Mayor of Geumcheon-gu, said, “As residents are visiting the mountains more for their health, I ask for your cooperation in wildfire prevention to protect our precious local forests,” and added, “The district will do its best to prevent wildfires and ensure residents’ safety by utilizing various methods such as drones.”
Meanwhile, Geumcheon-gu and Geumcheon Police Station signed an agreement last year and have been continuously cooperating for residents’ safety, including crime prevention in parks and hiking trails. This year, they plan to expand safety inspection activities such as installing closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) in blind spots on hiking trails and drone patrols.
“Save on Heating Costs and Protect the Environment”... Mapo-gu Supports Installation Costs for Eco-Friendly Boilers
Support of 600,000 KRW for Installation and Replacement Costs Targeting Vulnerable Groups and Social Welfare Facilities
Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) is implementing the ‘2025 Household Eco-Friendly Boiler Support Project’ to reduce heating cost burdens and emissions of air pollutants in vulnerable groups and social welfare facilities in the area.
Eco-friendly boilers emit significantly lower amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a fine dust substance, compared to conventional old boilers. Additionally, their thermal efficiency is about 12% higher, enabling annual fuel cost savings of up to 440,000 KRW.
Mapo-gu has secured a total budget of 63 million KRW this year and will provide a subsidy of 600,000 KRW to households and facilities that newly install or replace eco-friendly boilers.
The support targets include recipients of basic livelihood security, low-income households, recipients of disability (child) allowances, single-parent family support recipients, multi-child families (two or more children) with income below 100% of the median income, and social welfare facilities. However, the boilers must be condensing gas boilers certified with environmental labeling and have a rated gas consumption of 70kW or less for installation or replacement.
Residents wishing to apply can visit the Mapo-gu Clean Environment Division or apply by mail. Applications can also be submitted online through the eco-friendly boiler subsidy application system.
An official from the district said, “Last year, subsidies totaling 40.77 million KRW were provided to 68 households,” and added, “Please note that applications will not be accepted once the budget is exhausted.”
For detailed information about the boiler support project, inquiries can be made to the Mapo-gu Clean Environment Division.
Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “I hope this boiler support project will help residents enjoy a warm winter without worrying about heating costs,” and added, “Mapo-gu will continue to make every effort to create a clean environment and a community where no one is left behind.”
Design Change for Nowon-gu’s Five Types of General Volume-Based Waste Bags (3ℓ, 5ℓ, 10ℓ, 20ℓ, 50ℓ)
Design Improvement to Promote Proper Household Waste Disposal and Raise Awareness of Carbon Neutrality
QR Code for Foreigners Inserted on Bags Providing Waste Disposal Guidance in Four Languages (English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian)
Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has newly changed the design of general volume-based waste bags as part of policies to practice carbon neutrality.
As a leading autonomous district in carbon neutrality, Nowon-gu actively promotes eco-friendly policies. This change in the design of volume-based waste bags is part of efforts to practice carbon neutrality, aiming to raise residents’ awareness of the climate crisis and encourage participation in resource circulation in daily life.
Starting with a proposal from the design team of Seoul National University of Science and Technology in 2023, the project was officially promoted through a business agreement signed in September of the same year between Nowon-gu and the SeoulTech LINC 3.0 Project Group. After reviewing various drafts for about a year, the final design was confirmed.
The new design will be applied to five types of general volume-based waste bags (3ℓ, 5ℓ, 10ℓ, 20ℓ, 50ℓ). It features a more intuitive message emphasizing the necessity of environmental protection compared to the previous design.
In particular, it includes an illustration of a polar bear on melting ice and the slogan “There is no second Earth” to highlight the seriousness of the climate change crisis. Also, the printing color of the phrase “Volume-Based Waste Bag,” which was previously navy blue, has been changed to dark green to further emphasize the meaning of carbon neutrality and resource circulation.
Waste disposal guidance for foreign residents has also been enhanced. A QR code is inserted at the top of the bag; scanning it provides waste disposal instructions in four languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian. Through the QR code, users can check prohibited items, information about collection agencies, and more, making it easier for foreign residents to learn proper waste disposal methods.
Additionally, pictograms showing prohibited disposal items (such as food waste) are placed at the bottom of the bag to encourage proper waste separation by residents.
The existing design bags currently sold at volume-based waste bag sales points can still be used, and collection will proceed normally.
The maximum capacity of volume-based waste bags has been adjusted from 75ℓ to 50ℓ, and production of 75ℓ bags will be discontinued starting in 2025.
Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Environmental protection starts with small actions, so I hope the change in volume-based waste bags will raise residents’ environmental awareness and serve as an opportunity to practice carbon neutrality,” and added, “Existing volume-based waste bags and 75ℓ bags currently on sale can still be used normally, so residents are asked to use them without inconvenience.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
