Five-Minute Free Speech...
"Preemptive Inspections Needed for the Summer Season"
On June 4, Kwon Ohjoong, a member of the Cheonan City Council in South Chungcheong Province, urged that inspection systems be strengthened to prepare for sinkholes during the summer season.
He emphasized this point during a five-minute free speech at the first plenary session of the 280th regular meeting of the council held that day.
Kwon referred to a fatal sinkhole accident that occurred in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, in March, and remarked, "Although we have not yet seen a sinkhole in our area that has led to a major accident, ground subsidence, cracks, and potholes have been identified in various regions."
He went on to cite the analysis by the Korea Infrastructure Safety and Technology Corporation, which found that, among ground subsidence accidents that occurred from 2018 to August of last year, 45% were caused by sewer pipe damage, and 47% of the accidents were concentrated during the summer season.
Kwon stated, "Seventy-nine percent of our city's sewer pipelines are more than 21 years old. Replacing these pipelines is an essential policy for the safety and lives of our citizens," and added, "It is time to strengthen preemptive inspection systems in preparation for the summer season."
He then proposed: ▲expanding underground safety impact assessments, ▲establishing an integrated management system for underground facilities, and ▲implementing a citizen-participation-based reporting and emergency response system.
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