Presiding Over Review Meeting, Mayor Announces "Measures to Strengthen Heatwave Response"
Doubling Water Spraying Vehicles from 10 to 20 Daily to Mitigate Urban Heat Island Effect
Letter Sent to 2,500 Local Construction Companies to Protect Workers
Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong is presiding over the "Heatwave Response Progress Review Meeting" at the city hall disaster situation room on the morning of the 10th. Provided by Gwangju City
Gwangju Mayor Kang Gijeong has launched an emergency response to the heatwave for the second consecutive day. In response to the prolonged heatwave, Mayor Kang announced additional countermeasures, including doubling the number of water spraying vehicles, installing more shade canopies, and implementing protective measures for outdoor workers. He instructed, "Make citizen safety the top priority."
On the morning of July 10, Mayor Kang presided over the "Heatwave Response Progress Review Meeting" at the city hall disaster situation room, where he discussed strengthening heatwave response measures with a focus on prioritizing citizen safety.
The meeting was attended by 16 relevant departments of Gwangju City and deputy district chiefs from 5 autonomous districts. They shared strengthened measures for heatwave response and reviewed the progress of each district's heatwave response efforts.
During the heatwave response review meeting, Mayor Kang called on relevant departments and districts to strengthen the system for preventing heat-related illnesses, to implement thorough countermeasures for vulnerable groups such as elderly farmers, seniors living alone, and outdoor construction workers, and to actively promote public awareness campaigns.
After the review meeting, Mayor Kang visited Gwangju Kia Champions Field to inspect the implementation of protective measures for outdoor workers against the heatwave. The previous day, he had conducted a safety inspection of the working environment for outdoor workers vulnerable to heat-related illnesses at an urban railway construction site.
To minimize heatwave damage, the city will fully implement the "Comprehensive Heatwave Countermeasures" established in May, along with the "Additional Measures to Strengthen the Heatwave Response System." These additional measures focus on three main areas: improving living environments, intensively protecting heat-sensitive groups, and promoting public awareness.
First, the number of water spraying vehicles to mitigate the urban heat island effect will be doubled compared to the original plan. Every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., about 20 water spraying vehicles will be deployed on 20 main arterial road sections covering 226 kilometers, conducting spraying operations. Originally, the plan was to operate about 10 vehicles per day, but this has now been doubled to 20.
Large parasol-type shade canopies will also be additionally installed on major pedestrian paths and crosswalks in heat-vulnerable areas such as Gyerim-dong, Chipyeong-dong, and Bongseon-dong. The initial plan was to install 91 canopies, but 40 more have been added, bringing the total to 131. As a result, the total number of shade canopies operating in Gwangju this summer has increased to 810, including the existing 679. Cooling fog systems and clean roads installed in high-traffic areas such as Gwangju Intercity Bus Terminal and the Geumnam-ro transfer hub will also be operated continuously.
The city is also actively working to protect workers in heat-vulnerable sectors. Approximately 2,500 local construction companies will receive a letter from the mayor outlining heatwave safety guidelines, such as "work for two hours, rest for 20 minutes" and "drink plenty of water." The city has already been conducting inspections at city-commissioned construction sites to check whether rest breaks are being provided and whether rest areas with shade canopies are being established.
Protective measures will be strengthened for heat-sensitive individuals, including seniors living alone, residents of single-room accommodations, and those with underlying health conditions, through on-site protection activities. Additional cooling supplies such as cool towels, cool masks, and fans will also be provided to prevent heat-related illnesses. In addition, public awareness campaigns will be reinforced so that citizens can better understand the importance of preparation and proper actions during a heatwave.
The "Honesty Water Freezer," currently operated in some areas of Gwangsan-gu, will be expanded citywide, allowing citizens suffering from the heat to access ice water bottles labeled with heatwave safety guidelines, thereby promoting awareness of heatwave action rules.
Furthermore, campaigns are being conducted to distribute bottled water and promote heatwave safety guidelines to citizens in crowded places such as traditional markets, terminals, and parks. Weather updates and heatwave safety guidelines are being provided through electronic displays, village broadcasts, and text messages.
To implement these enhanced measures, the city will immediately allocate 500 million won from the disaster management fund and will continue to invest the 620 million won in special disaster safety grants requested from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as soon as they are provided.
Mayor Kang stated, "The intense heat that threatens citizens' health continues day after day. We will listen to the difficulties and concerns on the ground to protect citizens' safety from the heatwave," and added, "Gwangju City and the five autonomous districts will do everything possible to protect the lives and health of citizens, outdoor workers, and vulnerable groups from the heatwave."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
