[Anchor]
Fire engines from all over the country have gathered in Gyeongsangnam-do, where the drought is severe. They are scheduled to supply water to rice paddies and meet daily household needs over a two-day period through today, Thursday (August 13).
Our first report today is from reporter Kim su-yun.
[Reporter]
Forty fire engines are packed tightly into a parking lot in Miryang, Gyeongsangnam-do.
Following the government's issuance of a national firefighting mobilization order the evening before yesterday, 200 fire engines and 400 personnel from 16 city and provincial fire headquarters nationwide have assembled in Gyeongsangnam-do.
[Kim Young-gwan / Senior Inspector, Prevention Division, Gyeongsangnam-do Fire Headquarters: The purpose of the national firefighting mobilization order is to overcome the limitations of regional firefighting capacities and provide support at the national level.]
The fire engine you see behind me has the word "Hoengseong" written on it.
Fire engines gathered from all over the country, including Hoengseong in Gangwon-do and Seoul, are supplying water to the drought-hit sites in Gyeongsangnam-do.
The mobilized firefighting forces have been distributed among 14 jurisdictional fire stations in Gyeongsangnam-do, with the largest number, 40 fire engines, deployed to Miryang, where the reservoir storage rate has dropped to 25%, the lowest level in the country.
Firefighters repeatedly draw water from urban streams and other sources, move to nearby agricultural land or reservoirs, and supply the water.
[Kim Wan-gyum / Firefighter, Icheon Fire Station, Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters: After being assigned a water source for each vehicle, we receive the water, go to the water supply point, and spray it. I think we just kept repeating that.]
This marks the second time a national firefighting mobilization order has been issued due to a drought, following Gangneung in August of last year when the reservoir storage rate dropped to 13%, making the operation especially meaningful for the mobilized Gangneung firefighters.
[Cho Seok-du / Fire Inspector, Gangneung Fire Station, Gangwon Fire Headquarters: We left at 3 a.m. (3 a.m.?) We received a lot of help last year, so being able to return the favor is rewarding and feels good. My mind feels a bit more at ease.]
Amid preliminary estimates that 2,121 hectares of agricultural land in Gyeongsangnam-do have suffered damage due to the drought and heatwave, approximately 4,700 tons of water were supplied as agricultural water yesterday alone.
[Park Seon-i and Yoon Hye-ok / Miryang City, Gyeongsangnam-do: It breaks our heart. In this heat, (the firefighters) keep going up and down several times a day to supply water.]
The firefighting forces mobilized from across the country will continue emergency water supply support operations in various parts of Gyeongsangnam-do through today.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
(Video reporting: Kyungmun, Design: Lee Ga-jin, Footage courtesy of Miryang City and Gimhae City)
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