Gyeonggi Province Races Against Time to Complete 641 Disaster Recovery Projects Before Rainy Season

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gab-dong] Gyeonggi Province has launched an all-out final effort to complete disaster recovery work at 641 sites throughout the province damaged by heavy rain last year, targeting completion by June 15th before the rainy season begins.

According to the province on the 14th, as of May, 378 of the total 641 sites have been completed, with the remaining 263 sites proceeding normally. The province plans to complete 465 sites (72.5%) by the 30th of this month and finish 632 sites, representing 98.6% of the total, by June 15th before the rainy season intensifies. For mid-sized projects with large construction costs (300 million to 5 billion won), the priority is to complete major works before the rainy season to thoroughly prevent re-damage.

The province will proactively implement 'structural and non-structural special safety measures' for six improvement and recovery projects in Gapyeong and the Wangsuk Stream site in Pocheon, where physical completion by June 15th would be difficult. Structural measures to enhance on-site response capability are expected to be completed during May, including priority maintenance of vulnerable sections (8 sites, 586 meters) such as Sibitan Stream and Segok Stream, complete replacement of aging sandbags (1,733 units), and securing water conveyance capacity through channel dredging. Simultaneously, the province plans to implement non-structural measures to prevent casualties, including real-time water level monitoring linked to CCTV and emergency alert systems via social media, emergency standby for site representatives and supervisory teams, and advance positioning of heavy equipment near sites to ensure full safety management during the rainy season.

Additionally, the province is strengthening administrative support for smooth project implementation to address material supply volatility arising from recent instability in Middle Eastern regions. Through a whole-of-government cooperation system, the province will prioritize supply of critical materials such as asphalt concrete and flexibly cooperate to prioritize allocation of government-supplied materials from general construction sites in Gapyeong and Pocheon to disaster recovery sites. Furthermore, to ease the burden of raw material price fluctuations due to changing external conditions, the province plans to support stable construction by contractors, including flexible application of E/S contract price adjustment restriction periods in accordance with relevant guidelines.

Meanwhile, Administrative Vice Governor Kim Sung-joong visited a major recovery site in Gapyeong on the 14th to personally check construction progress and encourage stakeholders while urging swift project implementation. This inspection was arranged to listen to on-site difficulties regarding material supply and other matters, and to jointly explore ways for Gyeonggi Province and municipal governments to cooperate closely for seamless completion.

Administrative Vice Governor Kim Sung-joong encouraged, "Completion before the rainy season is the top priority directly linked to the safety of provincial residents, so Gyeonggi Province and municipal governments must work as one team to accelerate project implementation," and emphasized, "Through thorough preliminary reinforcement measures and flexible administrative support, we will definitely protect this golden time window before the rainy season."