Baeksu Daesinjae at 46%, Yeomsan Bokryongje at 41%
Cumulative precipitation by February less than half of average
Reservoir construction underway to secure new water sources
The water supply sources in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do are at risk of depletion.
According to Yeonggwang-gun on the 11th, the current water reservoir rates for Baeksu and Yeomsan areas are 46% for Daesinjae and 41% for Bokryongje, respectively.
Converted into the number of days water can be supplied, Daesinjae has about 85 days and Yeomsan Bokryongje about 90 days left. This means water can only be supplied for about three months. If there is no rainfall, from April onwards, water supply restrictions and disruptions in agricultural water supply are expected.
The reason the water sources are on the verge of depletion is the severe spring drought compared to previous years. In fact, the accumulated precipitation up to February this year was 66.8mm, only 43% of last year's 153mm. The average reservoir rate for water sources is 68.9%, which is 69% of last year's 99.2%, with some sources at particularly low levels.
Since the end of last month, the Waterworks and Sewerage Office has been supplying 400 tons of groundwater per day to Baeksu Daesinjae and 300 tons per day to Yeomsan Bokryongje as water sources. Depending on the situation, an additional 1,000 tons per day will be supplied to Baeksu Daesinjae from Gusu 2 Reservoir.
Yeonggwang-gun is currently carrying out the 'Construction of a New Drinking Water Reservoir' project, investing 40 billion KRW to secure a water source of 600,000 tons from 2019 to the end of 2026.
Governor Jang Seil stated, "To prepare for the severe drought, we are considering ways to secure water sources by utilizing agricultural water during the off-season," and added, "We will do our utmost to ensure a stable water supply so that residents do not experience inconvenience due to ongoing drought conditions."
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