Governor Park Wansu: "Disaster Patterns Changing with Extreme Rainfall, Thorough Preparation Needed"

"Recent disasters differ from those in the past, so thorough preparation is necessary."

Park Wansu, Governor of South Gyeongsang Province, made this statement on July 31 while inspecting the site of a mountain erosion control project in Jangcheon-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon City.

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is inspecting the four-way project site in Jangcheon-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, emphasizing preparedness for heavy rain. Photo by Gyeongnam Province

Governor Park emphasized, "During extreme heavy rainfall events like this, not only earth and sand but also felled trees can be swept down, potentially paralyzing the function of erosion control dams," and called for related preventive measures.

Erosion control dams are facilities designed to protect residents' lives and property by preventing landslides as well as blocking soil, large branches, rocks, and other debris that are washed down from mountains during heavy rain.

South Gyeongsang Province announced that this year, it invested 38.9 billion won to complete the following projects before the rainy season: 6 hectares of mountain erosion control to prevent landslides, 6 kilometers of stream maintenance to restore watercourses devastated by soil erosion and sedimentation, 122 erosion control dams to block debris flows, and 3 sites of forest watershed management, which is a systematic erosion control project at the watershed level.

In addition, the province plans to do its utmost to expand and maintain erosion control facilities in order to prevent forest disasters caused by torrential rains that occur every year.