"Electricity Bill Alone Hits 7 Million Won This Month Trying to Save Ducks from Heatwave"

"Even though we do everything we can to try and save the ducks, they keep dying every day."

On July 27, at a duck farm in Chukdong-ri, Seji-myeon, Naju, South Jeolla Province, where relentless heatwaves with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius continued day after day.

Ducks that would normally wander around in flocks or make noises were slumped over, pressing their bodies against the hot ground.

They were gasping with their beaks open here and there, and some gathered around water dispensers, gulping down water continuously.

There were even ducks that seemed to lack the energy to avoid people as they approached, lifting only their heads before collapsing back down.

Inside the barns, large electric fans spun endlessly and misting systems sprayed fine water droplets, but they could not completely push out the heat.

Lim, 59, who has been raising ducks for 34 years, immediately rushed into the barn upon seeing the ducks slumped on the floor.

As Lim spread his arms and cut across the flock, the lifeless ducks stood up in surprise, but collapsed again before taking a few steps.

To prevent the ducks from continuously sitting on the floor and increasing their body temperature, he circled inside the barn dozens of times a day to scatter the flock.

Fans and misting systems are operated 24 hours a day, and vitamins are even mixed into the water the ducks drink.

However, in front of the scorching heat continuing day after day, even this was not enough, with 200 to 300 ducks dying from failing to withstand the heat just this morning, Lim said.

Lim complained, "The electricity bill alone came out to 7 million won this month, and we cannot save on electricity because stopping the facilities even for a moment kills the ducks. I want to install solar panels, but the barns are classified as temporary structures under the Farmland Act, making even that difficult."

It was not only the livestock trapped inside cramped barns that suffered from the heatwave.

On the same day, at a pear orchard in Bonghwang-myeon, Naju, seasonal workers from Laos, Xiao (29), Lien (33), and Mo (33, female), were working under the hot and strong sunlight.

Scarcely 5 minutes had passed since stepping out beside the pear trees, and thick drops of sweat quickly formed on the bridges of their noses.

They kept their hands moving constantly while wiping away the sweat pouring down with towels draped around their necks and their sleeves.

As the scorching heatwave continued, their working hours also changed.

Avoiding midday when temperatures are highest, they worked from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., rested at their quarters, and came back out to the orchard from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Xiao, who also farmed in Laos, said she had not expected South Korea's summer to be this difficult.

Xiao said, "The temperature is similar to Laos, but South Korea has much higher humidity, so sweat pours out with just a little movement. Because the sunlight is so strong that it stings the skin, we have no choice but to wear long sleeves even though it's hot."

The heat felt everywhere in the field is also reflected in the actual heatwave warning status.

With heatwave advisories issued across all of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju as of 3:00 p.m. on this day, more than half of the areas entered the heatwave warning stage, and Gwangyang has been under a heavy heatwave warning, the highest alert level, for four consecutive days.

Livestock that have died from the heat in South Jeolla Province and Gwangju since the beginning of this summer up until the previous day reached 16,378.

By livestock type, chickens were the most at 12,283, followed by 2,360 ducks and 1,735 pigs.

A total of 109 heat-related illness patients also occurred in the South Jeolla Province and Gwangju regions from May 15, when the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency began tallying, until July 25.

Around 3:15 p.m. on July 25, a Thai national in their 30s, A, collapsed after complaining of dizziness on a field path in Hwangsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, and was presumed to have died from a heat-related illness.

An official from the Gwangju Regional Meteorological Administration urged, "As heavy heatwave warnings and heatwave advisories are in effect, heat-related illnesses are a concern, so you should stop outdoor activities and take sufficient breaks in the shade."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.