Local governments rush to prepare for vulnerable as this year’s heat wave expected to hit earlier

Children play in a water fountain installed at Gwangju Biennale Square in Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, on the afternoon of Nov. 11, when the daytime high temperature in Gwangju exceeded 30 degrees Celsius. Yonhap News Agency

At Gwanghwamun Square on the afternoon of June 11, when Seoul's high temperature hit 31 degrees, children were playing in the Hangeul Fountain, a floor fountain between the statue of General Yi Sun-sin and the Sejong Center. They were busy cooling off regardless of getting their clothes wet. Kim, an office worker who was passing by the square, said, "I’m sweating heavily even though I just came out for a while to buy office supplies," and added, “I wish I could jump into the fountain.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is in the process of selecting a contractor to install changing rooms, drying facilities, and low wooden benches around the fountain in Gwanghwamun Square, with the goal of installing them in the middle of next month. The timing of installation this year is slightly earlier than in previous years. An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, "We are considering moving up the opening time of the facilities, such as changing rooms, by about a week due to the earlier heat than the previous year."

This year's heat wave is expected to hit the country earlier than usual, spurring the city and the districts’ movement to seek “cold water.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the day that it has prepared 106,000 bottles of water, the largest amount ever, to give away for free to mobile workers, including delivery workers, couriers, and dispatch riders. Last year, the city provided 100,000 bottles of water. It increased the supply as the number of patients suffering heat-related illnesses increased by 80 percent year-on-year last year and that of days with abnormally high temperatures reached 57.8 days, and also heat waves are expected this year.

Seoul said it is distributing bottled water at 27 locations, including 18 municipal and district labor centers and four rest areas for mobile workers. People can check the locations on the ice water map posted on the website of the bottled water sharing project. Mobile workers can stop by the locations at their convenience and take bottled water from the coolers. One bottle of water per person per day is provided.

At 10:30 a.m. on June 12, the first day of the bottled water sharing event, a campaign to share bottled water for mobile workers will be held at Jangtonggyo Bridge in Cheonggye Stream. A total of 1,000 bottles of water and safety items, such as cool wristlets, cool scarves, sunscreen, reflective stickers for two-wheelers, and anti-fog sets, will be provided.

Family Garden Water Playground in Anyangcheon, which first opened last year, will open on the 20th, about 10 days earlier than other water playgrounds. Eunpyeong-gu will also open four water playgrounds that residents can enjoy for free, including Maebawi Children's Park, on the 29th, earlier than usual. From June 29 to July 14, the park will be open only on Saturdays and Sundays, and from July 17 to August 28, it will be open every day.

Gwangjin-gu has decided to provide free passes to water playgrounds for vulnerable children for the first time this year. Children under the age of 13 (born on or after July 1, 2011) and their adult guardians who are basic livelihood recipients, or from lower income or single-parent families living in the district will be provided with a one-day pass by text message if they apply through a QR code. They can enter the Gwangjin-gu Children's Center by presenting the text message with a pass.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.