Rice Planting Season in May-June: "Smooth Water Supply... Reservoir Levels Require Attention"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government expects that water supply for rice planting season will proceed normally as the accumulated rainfall over the past six months is similar to the average year, and the storage rates of dams and reservoirs are also above average levels.

On the 10th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that the accumulated rainfall over the past six months was 282.2 mm, which is similar to the average year. However, the accumulated nationwide rainfall over the past month was 54.7 mm, which is 63.1% of the average, emphasizing the need for continuous attention to water management. Rainfall in May and July is expected to be similar to the average, while June is forecasted to be similar to or higher than the average.

The average storage rate of agricultural reservoirs nationwide is about 111% compared to the average year, so concerns about agricultural water shortages during the rice planting season are considered low. Although there are differences by region depending on varieties and temperatures during the planting period, full-scale agricultural water supply is expected to proceed in most regions nationwide. Considering the decrease in storage rates due to agricultural water supply and differences in water supply conditions by reservoir nationwide, the government plans to continuously monitor the rice planting progress and storage rates, and establish water securing measures for areas at risk of water shortage as a preemptive measure.

In the domestic and industrial water sectors, the storage rates of major multipurpose dams and water supply dams are above 106% of the average year, but some island and mountainous areas* are conducting emergency water supply due to geographical characteristics. The government plans to thoroughly manage dam gate situations as drought concerns arise from decreased storage rates in some areas such as Boryeong Dam in Chungnam and Unmun Dam if rainfall is insufficient in May and June.

Choi Man-rim, Director of Disaster Response Policy, said, “In March, the welcome spring rain moistened the land, but recently the rainfall has been somewhat less than average. Nevertheless, we will do our utmost to manage the nationwide rice planting situation and storage rates to ensure smooth water supply during the rice planting season, which is the start of farming.”