South Korea designates 11 priority areas for sewage system improvements

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has designated 11 locations as priority areas for sewage system maintenance for 2026 to prevent urban flooding caused by heavy rainfall. These areas include Jakjeong-dong in Incheon and Eumnae-dong in Seosan, as well as regions in Geoje and Tongyeong that were previously declared special disaster zones.

To address the issue, the government plans to invest approximately 550 billion won into these 11 sites. The project includes upgrading 68 kilometers of sewage pipes, constructing or expanding 12 pumping stations, and installing new rainwater catch basins to fundamentally resolve flooding causes.

In Buyeo County, the Ippo-ri area in Yanghwa-myeon was also selected for the 2026 priority management program. This selection allows the county to pursue a 33.4 billion won urban flood prevention project, which includes building a new rainwater pumping station with a capacity of 500 cubic meters per minute and renovating 1.9 kilometers of storm drains to protect residents from repeated flooding caused by rising river levels.