Severe Drought Hits Gyeongsangnam-do... 200 Fire Engines Deployed

[Anchor]

As a severe drought strikes Gyeongsangnam-do, a national firefighting mobilization order has been issued, bringing together some 200 fire engines from across the country. Four hundred firefighters have been deployed to provide emergency water supply support in various parts of Gyeongsangnam-do.

Reporter Kim su-yun has the story.

[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 on the evening of the 10th, 200 fire engines and 400 firefighters from firefighting headquarters across 16 cities and provinces nationwide have gathered in Gyeongsangnam-do.

[Kim Young-gwan / Prevention Division, Gyeongsangnam-do Fire Headquarters: The purpose of the national firefighting mobilization order is to overcome the limitations of local firefighting capabilities and provide support at the national level.]

The fire engine visible behind me has the word "Hoengseong" written on it like this.

Fire engines gathered from all over the country, including Hoengseong in Gangwon-do and Seoul, are supplying water to these drought-hit areas in Gyeongsangnam-do.

The mobilized firefighting forces have been distributed among 14 regional fire stations in Gyeongsangnam-do, with the largest number—40 fire engines—deployed to Miryang, where the reservoir water level has dropped to 25%, the lowest 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 / Icheon Fire Station, Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters: Each vehicle is assigned a water source, after which we receive water, go to the supply site, and spray it. I think we just kept repeating that process.]

This marks the second time a national firefighting mobilization order has been issued due to a drought, following Gangneung last August when its reservoir water level plummeted to 13%, making this operation particularly meaningful for the Gangneung firefighters involved.

[Cho Seok-du / Gangneung Fire Station, Gangwon Fire Headquarters: We left at 3:00 a.m. (3:00 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.]

While damage has been provisionally estimated at 2,121 hectares of agricultural land in Gyeongsangnam-do due to the drought and heatwave, approximately 4,700 tons of water were supplied for agricultural use yesterday alone.

[Park Sun-i and Yoon Hye-ok / Miryang-si, 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: Kyungmun | Design: Lee Ga-jin | Footage provided by Miryang City and Gimhae City)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.