Obong Reservoir's Water Storage Rate Drops to 15%
Gangneung Implements Water Rationing Amid Severe Drought
Province Requests Swift Government Declaration of Disaster Situation
As Gangneung in Gangwon Province is experiencing a severe drought, the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province has requested the government to declare a state of disaster.
The Obong Reservoir in Gangneung, Gangwon, which supplies 87% of the region's domestic water, is drying up rapidly. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 29th, Governor Kim Jin-tae of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province stated, "It is time for the government and local authorities to concentrate all their efforts together," and announced that he had requested the government to promptly declare a state of disaster in Gangneung, which is suffering from an extreme drought.
Currently, the water storage rate of the Obong Reservoir in Gangneung has dropped to the 15% range. The Obong Reservoir is the main water source for Gangneung, supplying 87% of the city’s domestic water to a population of 180,000.
According to the Korea Rural Community Corporation Rural Water Comprehensive Information System on this day, the water storage rate of Obong Reservoir recorded 15.5%. This is a decrease of 0.7 percentage points from the previous day (16.2%) and a drop of 3.3 percentage points compared to a week ago on the 22nd (18.8%), marking an all-time low.
A scene in Gangneung with a banner urging the conservation of agricultural water to overcome drought. Photo by Yonhap News
The water storage rate of Obong Reservoir recorded 15.5% as of the 29th. Korea Rural Community Corporation Rural Water Comprehensive Information System
In response, the province has implemented restricted water supply measures in the Gangneung area since the 20th, shutting off 50% of water meters for 53,485 households. While there was a previous warning of restricted supply in June 2017 when the Obong Reservoir’s storage rate fell to 26%, this is the first time Gangneung has actually enforced such measures.
If the Obong Reservoir’s storage rate falls to 15%, there have been discussions about shutting off 75% of water meters. However, the province has indicated that it will monitor the situation further before deciding on specific implementation plans.
A state of disaster is an emergency measure declared when a disaster occurs or is likely to occur, in order to minimize damage. Once declared, it allows for the mobilization of personnel, equipment, and supplies, emergency support, emergency convening of public officials, and government-level assistance.
Previous disaster declarations include the Yangyang wildfire in May 2005, the Taean oil spill in December 2007, the East Coast wildfire in Gangwon in April 2019, and the Uljin and Samcheok wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province in March 2022. If Gangneung is declared a state of disaster this time, it will be the first case of a natural disaster being declared as such.
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