Cheongsong-gun secures W74.2b for North Gyeongsang's largest disaster prevention project

Cheongsong-gun in North Gyeongsang Province announced Sunday that four districts have been selected for the Ministry of Interior and Safety's "2027 Disaster-Risk Area Improvement Project," securing a total project budget of 74.2 billion won ($55.4 million) — the largest such allocation in the province.

The funding covers four projects: 38.2 billion won for a flood and storm damage mitigation project in the Cheongsong-eup district, 33 billion won for a similar project in the Andeok district, 2 billion won for a steep-slope collapse risk mitigation project in the Jiso 2 district, and 1 billion won for improvements to the Hwanggolji reservoir, which has been designated a disaster-risk facility.

The Cheongsong-eup district suffered road, housing and farmland flooding from Typhoon Mitag in 2019 and Typhoons Maysak and Haishen along with heavy rainfall in 2020. A large wildfire in 2025 further damaged forests in the Bugok-ri and Deok-ri areas, heightening the risk of sediment runoff and debris flows.

To address these compounding hazards, the county plans to install a new drainage pump station, improve 983 meters of stormwater pipes, rehabilitate 2,467 meters of local and small streams, and build three erosion-control dams to comprehensively reduce flooding and landslide risks.

The Andeok district has long faced flooding and overflow risks due to inadequate drainage capacity in the stormwater pipe network serving the Myeongdang-ri urban area and in small streams including Mungeocheon, Garakgolcheon and Ichimicheon.

Plans there call for stream improvements, bridge reconstruction, stormwater pipe upgrades, and the installation of erosion-control and stream-conservation facilities, along with an early warning system — including water-level gauges, CCTV cameras and flood alert equipment — to enable a proactive response to compound disasters.

In the Jiso 2 district, rock bolts, rockfall prevention nets and fences will be installed to address steep-slope collapse risks. The Hwanggol Reservoir in Sejang-ri, Jinbo-myeon — rated D in a precision safety assessment — will also be formally designated a disaster-risk reservoir and undergo improvement works.

Cheongsong-gun County Chief Yun Gyeong-hui said the selection represents "a precious achievement of concentrating the county's administrative capabilities to protect the lives and property of residents." He added that the county would "do its utmost to proactively respond to extreme rainfall intensified by climate change and compound disasters in wildfire-affected areas, making Cheongsong a better place to live."