Drought Reaches Extreme Levels as Reservoirs Dry Up and Scheduled Water Outages Loom

[Anchor]

Scorching heatwaves hovering around 40 degrees Celsius continue to grip the Yeongnam region. Combined with the severe drought, Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province has issued a warning of impending water supply cutoffs to residents.

Reporter Kim Nak-sung from TBC has the details.

[Reporter]

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

The vehicles hauled water 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 surpass 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. It could be prolonged or end quickly depending on the volume supplied by the Korea Water Resources Corporation."]

Next to the reservoir, the riverbed is completely dried up, exposing cracked white ground.

Cumulative precipitation in Cheongdo this year stands at 413 mm, reaching only 66% of last year's level.

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

This is about 60% of normal years, and since July 15, it has remained under the "serious" drought stage, the only one among 12 multipurpose dams nationwide.

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

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

[Kim Kyung-soon / Restaurant Owner: "If the water stops running, it is the biggest disaster. We need water to wash dishes, wash vegetables, and wash rice. Water is the most important thing..."]

Cheongdo County has supplied around 40,000 bottles of drinking water to high-altitude areas where scheduled outages were announced, reduced tap water supply in certain regions, and initiated emergency responses by monitoring reservoir water levels and supply conditions every 30 minutes.

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

(Video by Noh Tae-hee / TBC)

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