The Seoul city government issued its first advisory on frozen water meters for this winter, as temperatures were expected to drop below minus ten degrees Celsius on Friday morning. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government activated an alert from 9 a.m., with “alert” representing the third-highest notch in its four-tier warning system for the freezing of water meters.

With the alert in place, the Seoul government is running a situation room around the clock to devise emergency measures to tackle frozen water meters, together with the city’s eight waterworks offices and the Seoul Facilities Corporation.

As of Tuesday, 242 cases of frozen water meters had been reported in the capital city this winter.

Residents are advised to wrap their meters with insulation and to block cold air from seeping in. They should also let a continuous trickle of water flow in the bathroom and kitchen to keep pipes from freezing.