Haenam-gun Makes All-Out Efforts to Restore Damage from Seawater Intrusion in Hwasan Farmland

Published 16 Jun.2022 16:56(KST)

Continuous Supply of Agricultural Water, Salinity Reduction, and Application of Nutrients, Growth Recovery Underway

Haenam-gun Makes All-Out Efforts to Restore Damage from Seawater Intrusion in Hwasan Farmland

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do is making every effort to restore the seawater flooding damage to the farmland in the Hwasan Gwandong area.

According to the county on the 16th, seawater intrusion occurred due to the opening of the sluice gate of the Hwasan Gwandong embankment on the night of June 4th, causing seawater flooding damage to about 54 hectares of farmland.

After the damage occurred, the county discharged water from the reservoirs of Yeonhwa-je, Bugil-je, Songsan-je, and Heukseok-je to reduce salinity, and based on the reduced water, is conducting water filtering operations.

The paddy water management involves filling the fields with water for one day, draining it, and then refilling after 10 hours, and this method has been continuously applied across the entire damaged farmland until now.

In addition, the county supports water filtering by providing free rental and installation of water pumps to farms, and on the 13th, sprayed zinc sulfate fertilizer and nutrients through aerial spraying over 21 hectares of severely damaged area.

After a week, the current salinity has decreased to about 0.12%, and it appears that the growth condition of rice seedlings in most of the paddies is recovering smoothly.

The county plans to support seedling cultivation for farms wishing to replant, and has secured 30 hectares worth of reserve seedlings in cooperation with local nurseries.

Damage reports from farms are being received at the Hwasan-myeon office, and a damage survey regarding future yield reduction will be conducted to prepare compensation measures.

The county immediately informed residents of the damage situation upon occurrence of the accident, cooperates with related organizations, and opened a group chat with residents to receive daily salinity measurement results and residents’ inconveniences in real time, providing immediate support for resolution.

On the 6th, a residents’ briefing session was held at the Hwasan-myeon office to collect opinions from citizens and discuss measures to prevent recurrence.

County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan also conducted an on-site inspection on the 5th and instructed through executive meetings to devise measures to minimize damage to farmers.

Governor Myeong emphasized, “I hope all efforts will be concentrated on restoration work to prevent further spread of this seawater flooding damage,” and added, “We will continuously monitor to assess the extent of damage, prepare compensation plans, and make thorough preparations for future accident recurrence prevention measures.”