The Ministry of Environment announced on the 20th that Yeongcheon Dam in the Nakdong River basin, Gyeongbuk, has entered the drought 'caution' stage.
The drought caution for Yeongcheon Dam was issued at 16:00 on the 19th. It was previously upgraded once from the drought 'interest' stage on the 25th of last month. As of that day, the reservoir rate was 34.4%, which is 92.7% of the average for this time of year.
The precipitation in the Yeongcheon Dam watershed from December 1 of last year to February 19 of this year was about 15.6mm, only 25.6% of the usual amount.
The malfunction of the floodgate at Pohang No. 2 water intake station worsened the drought at Yeongcheon Dam. The floodgate stopped working early this year due to river freezing caused by a cold wave. As a result, about 30,000 tons of domestic and industrial water are being supplied daily from Yeongcheon Dam. The Ministry of Environment explained that the reservoir volume at Yeongcheon Dam decreased more rapidly due to the delayed repair.
To prevent further worsening of the drought at Yeongcheon Dam, the Ministry of Environment decided to reduce river flow water use (up to 40,000 tons per day). Additionally, the supply of Kumho River water for water quality improvement, linked with Imha Dam (up to 192,000 tons per day), will be gradually reduced. The water quality monitoring network will also be strengthened in preparation for reduced river flow and deteriorating water quality.
Furthermore, if the water quality and flow of the Hyeongsan River remain good, plans have been made to increase the operation volume of the Bujo water intake station through consultations with related agencies. In this case, part of the 400,000 tons of domestic and industrial water supplied from Yeongcheon Dam can be replaced with river water.
Meanwhile, the areas that have entered drought stages nationwide are Yeongcheon Dam and Boryeong Dam. Boryeong Dam in the Geum River basin (located in Boryeong City, Chungnam) entered the drought 'interest' stage on the 2nd of last month. Currently, to ensure stable water supply, Boryeong Dam is operating a waterway to draw 115,000 tons of water daily from the Geum River.
Park Jae-hyun, Director of Water Management Policy at the Ministry of Environment, said, “We are continuously monitoring the reservoir and water supply status of Yeongcheon Dam in the Nakdong River basin and Boryeong Dam in the Geum River basin, which have entered drought stages. We will do our best to ensure stable water supply through cooperation with related agencies.”
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