The Gwangju Metropolitan City will invest 2.748 trillion won ($2.48 billion) next year to protect citizens' lives and property from natural disasters such as heavy rain and flooding in 156 disaster risk areas.
According to Gwangju officials, the disaster risk area management project for 2027 will target a total of 156 areas, including 33 new sites and 123 ongoing projects. The total project cost is estimated at 26 trillion won ($26 billion).
The new project areas include regions affected by heavy rainfall, such as Naju Unamcheon, Buk-gu Sinan, Seo-gu Yuchon, and Hwasun Iyang.
An initial 304 billion won ($304 million) will be allocated to the 33 new areas next year, with a total project cost of 388.9 billion won ($388.9 million). The city plans to systematically address disaster risk factors in each region to reduce recurring damage from heavy rainfall.
The disaster risk area management project is a preventive disaster response initiative aimed at eliminating risk factors in vulnerable facilities and areas to protect residents' lives and property.
As extreme weather events, such as intense rainfall in specific areas, become more frequent due to climate change, the importance of proactive measures to identify and manage risk areas has grown compared to post-disaster recovery efforts.
In line with this, the city has been identifying new project sites in accordance with government policies, such as comprehensive disaster risk management projects that improve local disaster risk factors through collaboration among various departments.
During the project selection process, pre-consultations with private experts were conducted, and the urgency of the projects and the need for national funding were continuously communicated to central government agencies.
As a result, the 33 areas were included in the new project list for 2027, securing a foundation for disaster prevention projects utilizing national funds. The city expects to carry out large-scale disaster prevention facility management more stably while reducing the financial burden on local finances.
Following the project selection, the speed of actual construction will also be crucial.
To minimize delays caused by initial administrative procedures, the city plans to expedite subsequent processes such as detailed design, preliminary design review, and compensation. A disaster prevention project monitoring team will be established to regularly check the progress of projects and budget execution in each area.
Mayor Min Hyung-bae stated, "Proactively managing disaster risk areas is the most effective way to reduce disaster damage," adding, "We will carefully examine and manage risk factors in areas that have experienced actual damage to create a safe Gwangju Metropolitan City that protects citizens' lives and property."
Meanwhile, timely completion of subsequent procedures such as design, compensation, and construction is as important as selecting project sites and securing budgets for the disaster risk area management project. The city plans to manage the execution status of each project phase to reduce delays in large-scale disaster prevention projects and continue addressing risk factors in areas prone to heavy rainfall.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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