Drought Reaches Extremes as Reservoirs Dry Up and 'Planned Water Outages' Loom

[Anchor]

Amid sweltering heatwaves hovering around 40 degrees Celsius (104°F), concerns are growing over drought damage in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. In Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province, planned water outages have even been announced.

TBC reporter Kim Nak-sung brings us the report.

[Reporter]

Large water supply trucks line up to enter a reservoir in Gakbuk-myeon, Cheongdo County.

The vehicles brought water loaded from the Jain Water Treatment Plant in Gyeongsan, supplying a total of 240 tons across 16 trucks, with 15 tons per vehicle.

As the ongoing drought causes water demand to exceed supply, water is being replenished to prepare for worst-case scenarios.

[Kim Geun-hyung / Cheongdo County Waterworks Office: "We cannot guarantee (how long this situation will last). Depending on the volume supplied by the Korea Water Resources Corporation, it could last a long time or end quickly..."]

The river next to the reservoir has dried up so severely that the white riverbed is completely exposed.

Cheongdo's cumulative precipitation this year stands at 413 mm, which is only 66% compared to last year.

The water storage rate of Unmun Dam, the main water intake source, is also in the 26% range.

This is about 60% of the usual level, and since July 15, it has remained at the "severe" drought stage—the only one among 12 municipal water supply dams nationwide.

As daily water consumption exceeded the maximum daily production capacity of the Unmun Water Treatment Plant, Cheongdo County announced planned water outages for Punggak-myeon, Iseo-myeon, and Gakbuk-myeon on the 2nd.

Residents, who experienced water outages in some areas two years ago, remain on edge.

[Kim Kyung-soon / Restaurant Owner: "Isn't it a major crisis if the water stops flowing? We need water to wash dishes, wash vegetables, and wash rice. Water is the most important thing..."]

Cheongdo County has stepped up emergency responses by supplying some 40,000 bottles of drinking water to highland areas facing the announced planned outages, reducing tap water supply in certain regions, and monitoring reservoir water levels and supply conditions every 30 minutes.

However, with no rain in the forecast for the time being and water consumption continuing to surge due to the worst heatwave, the crisis of water outages is expected to persist for a while.

(Video by Noh Tae-hee / TBC)

TBC Kim Nak-sung
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.