The Ministry of Environment will increase the installation sites for automatic flow measurement facilities that measure real-time flow from 49 to 223, a fivefold increase. It also plans to expand the points providing safety text messages via smartphones by about four times.
The Han River Flood Control Center, under the Ministry of Environment, announced on the 20th that it will actively promote these follow-up measures according to the revised 2nd Basic Plan for Hydrological Surveys. This initiative is aimed at preventing large-scale natural disasters, as flooding and drought damage have been occurring consecutively due to the normalization of abnormal climate and the enforcement of the Urban Flood Prevention Act.
The Basic Plan for Hydrological Surveys is a national strategy that contains the direction and specific implementation details aimed at systematically and efficiently surveying hydrological data, such as rainfall, river water levels, and flow, which are the basic data for national water resources management, and it is established every 10 years.
The Han River Flood Control Center plans to expand the national hydrological survey network to eliminate blind spots in monitoring water disasters such as floods. It will add 459 river water level measurement devices, centered around rivers vulnerable to flooding, increasing from 933 to 1,392 locations. Also, 409 new road water level measurement points will be established to create a foundation for urban flood forecasting.
Currently, the automatic flow measurement facilities installed at 49 out of 223 flood warning points will be expanded to all flood warning points. Until now, flow has been measured manually by people entering rivers with rubber boats, but with the installation of automatic flow measurement facilities, it is expected that real-time flow can be measured automatically, enhancing the safety and efficiency of hydrological survey work.
Flood information provided to the public will also be expanded. The Ministry of Environment began using individual smartphone location information (GPS) to provide flood information via safety text messages (CBS) to citizens near the 223 flood warning points since last July. From September of this year, flood information is set to be expanded to 933 national water level observation points.
The rain radar data service produced by flood control centers across the country will also be strengthened. Standardization of radar data quality management methods and file formats will be implemented, and a system will be established to process and provide data according to its intended use.
To ensure a rapid response in the event of a drought, 419 measurement points for river water usage managed by local governments will also be incorporated into the national hydrological survey network. Monitoring of river water usage during normal times will be strengthened, and standards for measurement methods and installation and operation of measurement equipment will also be established.
Kim Gu-beom, head of the Han River Flood Control Center, noted, "Hydrological surveys are the basic data for managing national water resources and responding quickly to water disaster risks. Therefore, I will do my best to ensure that accurate and comprehensive data are surveyed and utilized for the implementation of follow-up measures in the 2nd Basic Plan for Hydrological Surveys."