Paju City Operates 20 'Hanmogum Shelters' for Heatwave Response, Providing 12,000 Bottles of Water Daily

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Sohn Baechan) announced on July 15 that it would begin operating outdoor bottled water refrigerators, known as the 'Hanmogum Shelter,' as of today to respond to the full-scale summer heatwave and prevent citizens from developing heat-related illnesses.

Paju City Begins Operation of ‘Hanmogum Shelter’ for Heatwave Response. Provided by Paju City

The Hanmogum Shelter is a heatwave response facility that installs outdoor bottled water refrigerators at subway stations, neighborhood hubs, and areas frequented by heat-vulnerable populations. It is designed so that citizens can cool down with cold bottled water while on the move.

The city increased the number of Hanmogum Shelters from 13 last year to 20 this year. The number of locations has expanded by seven, and the start date for operations was moved up compared to last year to strengthen the city's response to heatwaves.

Locations were selected in areas with high foot traffic, such as GTX-A Unjeong Central Station, near Geumchon Station, Unjeong Lake Park, Geumchon Unification Market, and around the Gwangtan Agricultural Cooperative. The selection was based on a comprehensive review of accessibility, pedestrian flow, and utilization by heat-vulnerable populations.

The Hanmogum Shelter is open to all citizens, and to ensure benefits reach as many people as possible, each person is limited to one bottle of water at a time. The city will restock each shelter three times a day, refilling with 200 bottles per round, in order to provide up to 12,000 bottles of water daily across the 20 locations.

The city also plans to regularly inspect the cleanliness of the inside and outside of the refrigerators and the status of bottled water storage. Furthermore, it will flexibly adjust the frequency and amount of restocking based on usage and weather conditions, aiming to minimize inconvenience for citizens.

Mayor Sohn Baechan stated, "Heatwaves are disasters that directly impact the health and safety of our citizens, so we will proactively implement measures that people can feel in their daily lives." He added, "Through thorough on-site inspections and hygiene management, we will ensure that everyone can use the Hanmogum Shelter safely and conveniently."

In addition to operating the Hanmogum Shelter, Paju City plans to run cooling shelters, expand heatwave mitigation facilities, manage the health of vulnerable populations, and introduce measures to protect outdoor workers, all in an effort to minimize casualties caused by extreme heat.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.