Obong Reservoir Water Storage Rate Reaches 45%
National Fire Service Mobilization Suspended Until the 26th
The water storage rate at Obong Reservoir in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, which has been suffering from a severe drought, is showing an upward trend. Analysts say that the emergency discharge from the Doam Dam in Pyeongchang has also begun, providing some relief.
According to the Korea Rural Community Corporation’s Rural Water Comprehensive Information System, as of 5:50 p.m. on this day, the water storage rate at Obong Reservoir stood at 44.9% (compared to the average of 72.4%), up 16.8 percentage points from the previous day’s 28.1%. The Obong Reservoir supplies 87% of the domestic water for the Gangneung area. On September 12, the storage rate plunged to a record low of 11.5% due to the extreme drought, but steady rainfall in Gangneung has led to a rise in the rate since September 13.
As a result, the Gangneung city government lifted the time-based water supply restrictions for all 113 apartment complexes with water tanks of 100 tons or more as of 6 p.m. the previous day.
From 1 p.m. on this day, the Doam Dam in Pyeongchang, which can supply about 10,000 tons of water per day to the Gangneung area, also began emergency discharge. This is the first time in 24 years that water has been released from Doam Dam since discharge was suspended in 2001 due to water quality issues. Previously, the city government temporarily accepted the emergency discharge from Doam Dam on September 10 after gathering opinions from local residents to overcome the drought. In addition, the city is increasing water supply by securing three groundwater wells along the Namdaecheon stream and two temporary water intake points.
Rain is expected to continue in the Yeongdong region until the morning of September 21. Due to the recent rainfall and construction work on the water conduit near the Hongje Water Purification Plant, the mobilization of national fire service resources and the operation of the National Fire Agency’s on-site situation manager will be temporarily suspended from 2:40 p.m. on this day until September 26. However, the National Fire Agency’s large-capacity foam discharge system will continue to operate, and after the construction is completed, authorities will analyze the status of the secured water sources to decide whether to resume water transportation services.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held a meeting of relevant agencies to discuss drought response measures at Gangneung City Hall on this day, presided over by Kim Kwangyong, Director General for Disaster and Safety Management. Kim stated, “The government will do its utmost to ensure that Gangneung City can stably manage the drought situation.”
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