10 Out of 13 Floodgates Opened... 'Flood Warning' Issued for Yeoncheon Area

[Anchor]

Heavy rain, exceeding 40mm per hour, has been pouring since last night (July 20), causing water levels in the Imjin River in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province to rise rapidly. A flood warning has been issued for the Yeoncheon area. The government believes that North Korea has released water from the Hwanggang Dam, located upstream of the Imjin River. Let's go to the scene.

Reporter Dong Eunyeong, it seems the rain has stopped for now, but has the water level of the Imjin River risen significantly?

[Reporter]

Yes, I am currently at the Gunnam Dam in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province, which serves to control floods on the Imjin River.

The rain has been alternating between stopping and falling, but it has now ceased.

You can see the muddy water gushing out from the Gunnam Dam behind me.

As of 7:00 PM, the water level at Gunnam Dam reached 35 meters, leaving only about 5 meters before it hits the safety limit of 40 meters.

The Korea Water Resources Corporation is managing the water level by opening 10 out of the 13 floodgates at the dam, which is more than usual. As of a short while ago, the amount of water being discharged has exceeded the amount of water flowing in.

From midnight yesterday to 5:00 PM today, heavy monsoon rains were concentrated in the northern Gyeonggi region, with 142mm recorded in Yeoncheon and 133.5mm in Paju.

The Ministry of Environment stated that due to heavy rainfall in the north, it appears North Korea has begun discharging water from the Hwanggang Dam upstream of the Imjin River without prior notice.

With this impact added to the situation, the water level at Gunnam Dam is rising rapidly.

[Anchor]

If the water level rises further, there is a concern for flooding. What is the current situation?

[Reporter]

Yes, the flood advisory issued for the Imjin Bridge area on the Imjin River this morning was upgraded to a flood warning as of 3:30 PM.

As of 7:00 PM, the water level at Imjin Bridge was 11.09 meters, exceeding the 10.8-meter threshold for a flood warning.

The water level at Pilseung Bridge, the northernmost point of the Imjin River, also reached 10.11 meters as of 7:00 PM, far exceeding the 7.5-meter threshold for the "attention" stage of crisis response in border areas.

Flood alerts have also been issued for the Biryong Bridge area in Paju, and traffic on bridges in the vicinity is being restricted due to the rising water levels of the Imjin River.

The Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters is operating an emergency rescue control team to proactively respond to the rising water levels at Pilseung Bridge. The Korea Meteorological Administration and the Korea Forest Service have sent out disaster safety text messages to residents and visitors in the Imjin River basin, urging them to stay away from the river and evacuate.

(On-site coverage: Pyeon Chan-hyeong, Video editing: Choi Jin-hwa)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.