Around 4 PM on the 23rd, in a villa village in Sinlim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul. The rainwater drain right in front of the semi-basement household is covered with a lid. This is near a building where a family lost their lives due to flooding damage that occurred in 2022. /Courtesy of Lee Ho-jun.

The alley of multi-family dwellings in Sillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, is the area where a family of three lost their lives due to flooding of a semi-basement unit caused by heavy rainfall in August 2022.

On the 23rd, one of the rainwater drainage holes in this alley was covered with a black rubber cover. Inside another drainage hole, cigarette butts, dry leaves, candy wrappers, and transparent plastic garbage were piled up. There was no sign of cleaning. Additionally, a 10 kg plastic container was placed on top of another drainage hole.

Experts pointed out, "This year's rainy season has begun, and if rainwater drains are not managed, significant damage could occur again."

Around 10 AM on the 23rd, in a villa village located in Sangdo-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Despite the sign indicating that fines may be imposed for illegal dumping, all sorts of trash are scattered over the rainwater catchment. /Courtesy of Lee Ho-jun.

◇Among the 10 drainage holes in Gwanak-gu and Dongjak-gu, 2 are in a state where rainwater is difficult to drain.

In Sangdo-dong, Dongjak-gu, which is adjacent to Gwanak-gu, a 50-year-old woman died three years ago when a semi-basement dwelling was flooded. Next to a rainwater drainage hole on the roadside of a traditional market near the accident site, there was a notice saying, 'No littering allowed.' However, the hole was filled with snack wrappers, triangular kimbap plastic, and more than 100 cigarette butts.

Dongjak-gu has installed drainage covers that are normally closed but open automatically when it rains. However, upon checking the site, it was found that some were left open due to malfunction, and in some cases, garbage was stuck between the devices, preventing them from functioning properly.

Around 4 PM on the 23rd, in a villa village in Sinlim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul. The rainwater drain right in front of the semi-basement household is filled with trash. This is near a building where a family lost their lives due to flooding damage that occurred in 2022. /Courtesy of Lee Ho-jun.

In this way, on the 23rd, a check of the rainwater drainage holes in the villa area of Gwanak-gu and Dongjak-gu revealed that about 2 out of 10 were blocked by garbage or covered. Heavy rain of up to 60 mm is forecasted from the 24th to the 25th, and if a sudden downpour occurs, water may not be drained smoothly.

A resident surnamed Jeong (60) met in Sillim-dong said, "The sewer smell is severe, and many bugs come up, so I covered it," and added, "Can't we just clean it when it rains?" Another resident surnamed Park (30) said, "People smoking in the alley all throw their butts into the rainwater drainage. I'm worried it will flood again this summer."

In August 2022, as heavy rain suddenly poured down, a man is clearing trash and leaves from the rainwater drain with his bare hands to allow the water to flow in the area around Gangnam Station in Seoul. /Courtesy of an online community.

◇The rainwater drainage holes in the area around Gangnam Station, which had previously experienced flooding, are clean.

In contrast, the rainwater drainage holes in the area around Gangnam Station, which were damaged by heavy rainfall three years ago, were in good condition. A check on the 20th revealed that no covers or trash were visible in 50 drainage holes around Gangnam Station. That day, a heavy rain warning was issued across Seoul, and despite the actual heavy rain, the rainwater drained smoothly.

Three years ago, during the flooding at Gangnam Station, a man removed leaves, plastic bottles, cans, and other trash from the rainwater drainage with his bare hands, allowing the water that had filled the road to drain away. This confirmed that proper management of rainwater drainage is essential to prevent flooding.

Seongdong-gu has expanded its stormwater drainage special task force, which had been operating in five vulnerable areas, including near Gangnam Station and Daechi Intersection, to all 22 dong (neighborhoods) starting this year. When a heavy rain warning is issued, 92 personnel will be dispatched to patrol and maintain sewer-related facilities.

Smart rainwater catchment in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. /Courtesy of Seongdong District Office.

Gangdong-gu is also focusing on cracking down on illegal dumping of trash, such as cigarette butts, around rainwater drainage holes and imposes fines of 50,000 won for violations.

Seongdong-gu has installed 'smart rainwater catchment' systems in 115 locations, including the Seongsu-dong cafe street. Normally, covers are placed over the drainage holes to prevent sewer odors from rising, and when it rains, the covers roll into the machine to prevent road flooding. This was designed to prevent merchants from arbitrarily covering the drainage holes with covers due to odors. Seongdong-gu stated, "We are checking every day. There are no broken areas."