The nation is intensifying efforts to prepare for landslides. However, why do we continue to experience flooding and landslide damage every year? While natural disasters cannot be entirely prevented by human efforts, it is certainly possible to reduce their impact. Perhaps what we are overlooking is our complacency and insensitivity towards disasters.
Extreme weather caused by the climate crisis is no longer an unfamiliar phenomenon. Last year, record rainfall in the Sancheong and Hapcheon areas of South Gyeongsang Province led to numerous landslides, while heavy rainfall in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, caused significant damage in a short period. Weather events once considered 'unusual' are now becoming a new normal that can recur at any time.
As extreme rainfall events become more frequent, relying solely on past experiences and statistics to explain risks is increasingly inadequate. Landslides are occurring in areas previously deemed safe, and the scale of damage is also growing. To respond to these changes, it is necessary to reassess existing systems and implement landslide prevention policies, such as watershed management, from a more future-oriented perspective.
First, it is essential to strengthen design standards for watershed facilities considering the changed rainfall environment. Recently, the intensity of rainfall has been increasing to the point where record rainfall amounts are being set every year. In response, the Korea Forest Service has appropriately strengthened standards to incorporate extreme rainfall data from the past five years into watershed management design. However, merely installing facilities is not enough. Systematic inspections and maintenance of existing structures, such as sediment control dams, must also be enhanced. No matter how excellent the facilities are, they cannot perform their intended functions without ongoing maintenance.
Second, to enhance the effectiveness of watershed management, project plans must be developed that are suitable for the characteristics of the watershed and changes in rainfall patterns. Watershed management should not be limited to the installation of individual facilities; it requires an integrated approach that considers the entire watershed. This necessitates establishing a foundation for scientifically understanding and analyzing the flow of water and sediment movement in forest watersheds.
The Korea Forest Service is developing forest hydrological models and creating a national 'Forest Hydrological Map' to establish water balance information for forest watersheds, while also installing hydrophones to monitor sediment movement. As this data accumulates, it is expected that the scale and location of watershed facilities can be determined more scientifically, and the accuracy of landslide risk predictions will improve.
Third, there is a need to cultivate specialized personnel and enhance technical capabilities for responding to forest disasters. Landslides, debris flows, and soil erosion disasters require a high level of expertise, but the workforce in this field is aging, and the influx of new personnel is insufficient. It is crucial to ensure systematic training and the transfer of technical skills to prevent the loss of accumulated field experience and expertise. Additionally, as the types and scales of forest disasters change rapidly due to climate change, continuous research and development are necessary. Efforts to secure new response technologies through international technical exchanges should also be pursued.
Expectations are high for the recently established Korea Forest Disaster Safety Technology Institute. Forest disasters cannot be addressed solely through facility installation; they require a comprehensive approach that integrates investigation and analysis, prevention and recovery, research and education. It is hoped that the institute will continuously train specialized personnel related to forest disasters, systematically accumulate and develop field-oriented technologies, and secure landslide response technologies suitable for South Korea through scientific research and international technical exchanges.
In disaster psychology, the tendency to underestimate risks until they are imminent and to believe that nothing will change after recognizing the danger is known as 'Normalcy Bias.' This is why we cannot feel reassured simply because a large-scale disaster has not occurred in a specific area. In fact, the places we should pay attention to may be those that have not experienced significant damage until now. The fact that landslides have not occurred in the past does not guarantee future safety.
As the climate crisis becomes the new normal, landslides are no longer just a problem for mountainous regions but a daily risk that can occur anywhere in the country. A thorough preparedness plan from the government and local authorities, combined with individual awareness that 'my area could be at risk at any time,' will finally create a robust safety net.
Extreme weather caused by the climate crisis is no longer an unfamiliar phenomenon. Last year, record rainfall in the Sancheong and Hapcheon areas of South Gyeongsang Province led to numerous landslides, while heavy rainfall in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, caused significant damage in a short period. Weather events once considered 'unusual' are now becoming a new normal that can recur at any time.
As extreme rainfall events become more frequent, relying solely on past experiences and statistics to explain risks is increasingly inadequate. Landslides are occurring in areas previously deemed safe, and the scale of damage is also growing. To respond to these changes, it is necessary to reassess existing systems and implement landslide prevention policies, such as watershed management, from a more future-oriented perspective.
First, it is essential to strengthen design standards for watershed facilities considering the changed rainfall environment. Recently, the intensity of rainfall has been increasing to the point where record rainfall amounts are being set every year. In response, the Korea Forest Service has appropriately strengthened standards to incorporate extreme rainfall data from the past five years into watershed management design. However, merely installing facilities is not enough. Systematic inspections and maintenance of existing structures, such as sediment control dams, must also be enhanced. No matter how excellent the facilities are, they cannot perform their intended functions without ongoing maintenance.
Second, to enhance the effectiveness of watershed management, project plans must be developed that are suitable for the characteristics of the watershed and changes in rainfall patterns. Watershed management should not be limited to the installation of individual facilities; it requires an integrated approach that considers the entire watershed. This necessitates establishing a foundation for scientifically understanding and analyzing the flow of water and sediment movement in forest watersheds.
The Korea Forest Service is developing forest hydrological models and creating a national 'Forest Hydrological Map' to establish water balance information for forest watersheds, while also installing hydrophones to monitor sediment movement. As this data accumulates, it is expected that the scale and location of watershed facilities can be determined more scientifically, and the accuracy of landslide risk predictions will improve.
Third, there is a need to cultivate specialized personnel and enhance technical capabilities for responding to forest disasters. Landslides, debris flows, and soil erosion disasters require a high level of expertise, but the workforce in this field is aging, and the influx of new personnel is insufficient. It is crucial to ensure systematic training and the transfer of technical skills to prevent the loss of accumulated field experience and expertise. Additionally, as the types and scales of forest disasters change rapidly due to climate change, continuous research and development are necessary. Efforts to secure new response technologies through international technical exchanges should also be pursued.
Expectations are high for the recently established Korea Forest Disaster Safety Technology Institute. Forest disasters cannot be addressed solely through facility installation; they require a comprehensive approach that integrates investigation and analysis, prevention and recovery, research and education. It is hoped that the institute will continuously train specialized personnel related to forest disasters, systematically accumulate and develop field-oriented technologies, and secure landslide response technologies suitable for South Korea through scientific research and international technical exchanges.
In disaster psychology, the tendency to underestimate risks until they are imminent and to believe that nothing will change after recognizing the danger is known as 'Normalcy Bias.' This is why we cannot feel reassured simply because a large-scale disaster has not occurred in a specific area. In fact, the places we should pay attention to may be those that have not experienced significant damage until now. The fact that landslides have not occurred in the past does not guarantee future safety.
As the climate crisis becomes the new normal, landslides are no longer just a problem for mountainous regions but a daily risk that can occur anywhere in the country. A thorough preparedness plan from the government and local authorities, combined with individual awareness that 'my area could be at risk at any time,' will finally create a robust safety net.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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