[What Will Change in the Second Half of the Year] Flood Warning Points Expanded to 933 Nationwide, Four Times More Than Last Year

Starting in the second half of this year, the government will expand the number of flood warning points by four times compared to the previous year, enabling the public to respond to flood risks in real time.

To provide expanded "severe flood information" via navigation systems, the government has strengthened coverage from 223 flood warning points and 37 dam discharge points last year to 933 water level monitoring stations nationwide this year.

The "severe flood information" stage refers to when the river reaches the planned flood level, which is the threshold for flood risk. This indicates a situation that requires immediate safety measures such as evacuation. Since July last year, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Science and ICT have been collaborating with navigation companies to provide risk information through navigation systems.

The government stated, "By expanding the coverage of water level monitoring stations nationwide from this year, we will minimize blind spots and encourage safe driving by motorists in high-risk areas."

From August 7, the business permit and inspection system for facilities handling hazardous chemicals will also be applied differentially according to risk level and handling volume. Previously, all facilities handling hazardous chemicals were required to obtain a business permit regardless of the amount handled. Going forward, facilities that handle small quantities will only need to file a business notification instead of obtaining a permit.

In addition, periodic inspections for handling facilities were previously conducted every one or two years depending on the permit status. Now, the inspection cycle will be differentiated from one to four years according to the volume handled and the risk level of the facility.

Due to the influence of the monsoon front, heavy rain continued for the fifth consecutive day on the 6th at Paldang Dam in Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, where 12 out of 15 sluice gates were opened, releasing about 18,000 tons of water per second. The increased flow from Paldang Dam since the morning affected the Han River, leading to a flood warning being issued at Hangang Bridge at 11 a.m. / Hanam = Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

To promote the use of recycled plastic materials, the scope of those required to use recycled materials will also change. The obligation will shift from "those producing more than 10,000 tons of PET annually" to "those producing more than 5,000 tons of final PET bottle products (for drinking water and beverages) annually."

The current target rate for the use of recycled materials is 3%. This will be raised to 10% starting in 2026, and then gradually increased to 30% by 2030. The government expects that this will reduce new plastic production and promote sustainable resource use.

Starting September 26, the scope of thermal wastewater reuse, which previously included only thermal wastewater from power plants, will be expanded to include thermal wastewater generated from production processes within factories (factory thermal wastewater). From December 11, the installation standards for private sewage treatment facilities will also be strengthened. Sedimentation separation tanks must be divided into at least two chambers arranged in series, with a total capacity sufficient for at least eight hours of retention to ensure proper sedimentation and separation.

In addition, to reduce the burden on public sewage-related businesses, the registration requirements for public sewage-related businesses will be eased. The government also plans to implement a differentiated environmental impact assessment system in October, which will apply different assessment procedures depending on the degree of environmental impact, instead of applying a uniform assessment based solely on project size.