Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, conducted an on-site inspection on the 18th in preparation for the upcoming monsoon season to address the recurring heavy rains and climate crisis.
On that day, the mayor inspected the rainwater storage unit at the Sinlim Public Parking Lot located upstream of Dorimcheon Stream and the underground road in Yeonggok-dong, Seocho District.
The rainwater storage unit at Sinlim Public Parking Lot is designed to temporarily store 35,000 tons of rainwater to prevent flooding of Dorimcheon Stream during heavy rains. Above ground and on the first basement level, there is a public parking lot used for bus parking, while a large-capacity rainwater storage unit is installed on the second basement level.
The mayor examined the readiness of the storage facilities, the operational readiness of the pump equipment, and the operation plans for the automated control systems on-site.
He then moved to the underground road in Yeonggok-dong to check the operational status of the automatic vehicle entry blocking system that activates during heavy rainfall.
The vehicle entry blocking facility for the underground road automatically controls vehicle access in the event of flooding. There are a total of 95 locations among Seoul's underground roads designated for the installation of entry blocking facilities, with plans to complete them by June of this year. This was initially aimed for completion in 2033 but has been advanced by eight years.
At this site, the mayor observed the operation of a four-person management system for each underground road that activates from the stage of heavy rain advisories and emphasized the importance of thorough management to prevent damage.