▲ Parched rice paddies in Gangdong-myeon, Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Under a blazing sun yesterday morning (August 6), a rice paddy in Gukdang-ri, Gangdong-myeon, Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, was thoroughly dried up with its soil cracked open.
This situation unfolded due to a continuous drought, just when the paddies should be filled with water as the rice plants are in their prime growing season.
Although the scorching heatwave that neared 40 degrees Celsius in the Gyeongju area has subsided somewhat, rising ground heat still caused a suffocating, greenhouse-like swelter across the farming lands.
Nearby soybean fields are no different, completely lacking moisture.
Water sprayers mobilized by the city of Gyeongju and the Korea Rural Community Corporation Gyeongju Branch busily shuttled back and forth across the fields, continuously spraying water.
However, the watering effects did not last long; a day later, the paddy soil invariably cracked open like turtle shells once again.
The city installed water pumps at the nearby Hyeongsan River and Wangsincheon Stream to draw up water, but because the water could not reach higher-altitude areas, officials struggled desperately to supply water using additional pumps.
Pipes and hoses were also laid out across farming roads and village paths to pump water up to the highlands.
Yet, due to the prolonged drought, many parts of the Hyeongsan River exposed their riverbeds, while Wangsincheon Stream had dried up entirely in numerous areas.
A 74-year-old farmer surnamed Ahn, who farms in Gukdang-ri, sighed, saying, "It feels like it has been several decades since the bed of the Hyeongsan River was exposed this much. How are we supposed to farm like this?"
A 78-year-old rice farmer surnamed Lee from a neighboring area shared, "Because water is scarce, arguments are breaking out among residents, and community relations are worsening."
A similar situation is unfolding in Pohang, which is adjacent to Gyeongju.
On the afternoon of the same day, many rice paddies in Namseong-ri, Daesong-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang, were dried up due to a lack of water.
Although the city of Pohang has also mobilized water trucks to supply water, farmers responded that it is merely a temporary stopgap.
According to the Korea Rural Community Corporation Gyeongsangbuk-do Regional Headquarters on August 6, the storage rate of reservoirs in the Gyeongju area managed by the corporation stood at 25.3% as of that day, which is markedly lower compared to 72.3% last year and the average year's 68.0%.
The storage rate of reservoirs in the Pohang area is also at 33.9%, merely half the level of 64.6% last year and the average year's 68.0%.
Because rice plants are in a period that requires a heavy amount of water, a water shortage inevitably deals a major blow to their growth.
Farmers reported that soybeans are also frequently withering without proper fertilization because of water shortages during their flowering season.
Other crops grown in fields, such as lettuce and peppers, are also failing to grow properly.
To secure agricultural water, Pohang and Gyeongju are installing water pumps, drilling new groundwater wells, and maintaining irrigation channels.
In fact, as falling water levels in the Hyeongsan River and seawater intrusion increased the salinity of the intake source at Pohang's Yugang Water Purification Plant, Pohang changed its water intake source from the Hyeongsan River to the Yeongcheon Dam and Imha Dam.
Gyeongju is adjusting the discharge volume of Deokdong Dam to expand the supply of agricultural water to Oedong-eup.
Not only agricultural water, but domestic water supplies are also in a precarious state.
Unmun Dam in Cheongdo, which supplies drinking water to Cheongdo, Daegu, and Yeongcheon, recorded a storage rate of 26.0% as of August 6, placing it in the severe drought stage.
Authorities are redirecting parts of the intake sources for Daegu and Gyeongsan to the Nakdong River and Geumho River to stockpile water from Unmun Dam.
To prevent water outages, Cheongdo County has been mobilizing large water trucks day after day to fill the Gakbuk Reservoir and is distributing bottled water to residents.
However, unless rain falls soon, resolving this drought crisis will be difficult.
In response, the Heads of Village Associations in Gampo-eup, Gyeongju, held a rain-making ritual on August 1 at the parking lot of the Gampo-eup Administrative Welfare Center, and the Federation of Voluntary Organizations in Janggi-myeon, Nam-gu, Pohang, held a rain-making ritual on August 4 at the north gate of Janggi Eupseong fortress.
The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted that rain could fall on the east coast of Gyeongsangbuk-do and the northern mountainous areas of Gyeongsangbuk-do during the weekend on August 8 and 9.
An official from Pohang said, "Everyone is hoping that plenty of rain will fall without causing major damage to help alleviate the drought."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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