<Anchor>



While the Gangnam Station area in Seoul was submerged in water again due to this heavy rain, there was a building that was not damaged thanks to the water gate, a water blocking facility, which became a topic of discussion.

When our reporters went directly to this area, there were several buildings around this area that had water blocking facilities and each had prepared for flooding.



Of course, this alone has its limits, so let's look at what reporter Park Ha-jeong covered.



<Reporter>



'Noah's Ark' and 'Waterproof Building', this place that has become a hot topic, I personally visited.



It looks like an ordinary underground parking lot entrance, but when it rains, a water gate is raised.



Since the company that owns this building first built it in 1994, it was built considering Gangnam Station is a low-lying area.



It is said that it was about 1m 60cm tall 10 years ago, but it is probably higher than that because it was added.



However, looking around, it was not only this building that had a water gate.



[Building A Parking Manager: (Do you know how to close the parking lot?) We have it, too.

There was a water barrier about 10 years ago, so I had a water barrier at that time.]



After the torrential rain in 2011, the ward office made it mandatory to install water barriers in new buildings in the city.



When constructing a building with a basement floor, it is necessary to install a water barrier in the underground parking lot and at the entrance of the stairs.



However, it is not a complete solution.



Due to the nature of Gangnam Station, where water flows from all directions as the land is lower than the surrounding area, there is a limit to blocking water without proper drainage.



[B Building Manager: This is like a raging stream.

Since the water from the sewer cannot be treated all the way to the Han River, water gushes up.

The water is this full, the whole road.

Water is leaking through the gap.]



[Suk-Hwan Jang/Professor, Department of Smart Construction and Environmental Engineering, Daejin University: (Measures) One is to expand the drainage pipe, the other is to build a deep tunnel or cut the drainage area and drain it completely to the other side. (Gangnam area) There are many subways and many high-rise buildings with very deep excavations, and it is not easy.]



As torrential rains are becoming more frequent due to climate change, it seems that more fundamental drainage measures are needed rather than relying on water barriers.



(Video coverage: Shin Dong-hwan, video editing: Lee Ki-eun, CG: Seo Hyun-joong and Seong Jae-eun)