Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to Implement 'Water Supply Measures'... "Proactive Response to Next Year's Drought"

'Sharing Bricks to Put in Toilet Tanks Amid "Drought Crisis"'
(Gwangju=Yonhap News) Reporter Cheon Jeong-in = On the morning of the 28th of last month, administrative welfare center staff and neighborhood association leaders are moving bricks for toilet tanks to be delivered to each household as part of water-saving efforts in front of the Munheung 1-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Buk-gu, Gwangju. 2022.11.28
iny@yna.co.kr
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[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] The government is pushing forward with water supply measures to proactively respond to drought next year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 20th that it will implement measures to secure 19.46 million tons of water in preparation for drought in the southern regions next year. The ministry will first carry out water replenishment by pumping river water into 133 reservoirs with low storage rates. Additionally, during the farming season next year, water will be directly supplied to farmland through river water and agricultural drainage.

The ministry's decision to implement water supply measures is based on the expectation that drought will continue in the southern regions next year. According to the ministry, the nationwide cumulative rainfall over the past six months was 917.2mm, which is 97% of the average rainfall. However, rainfall in the southern regions was only 65-84% of the average. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasts that drought will persist in the southern regions until February next year.

The reservoir storage rates in Jeonnam and Jeonbuk, areas with low rainfall, are also about 77% of the average. This contrasts with the national average storage rate of agricultural reservoirs, which is 68.2%, compared to the usual 96%. A ministry official explained, "During the winter season, water demand for open-field crops is low, so concerns about drought in fields are expected to be minimal. However, in areas with low storage rates, water shortages may occur after April, when the main farming season begins."

Accordingly, the ministry is also considering advancing the provision of drought countermeasure funds to areas at risk of drought. These funds will be used for groundwater development, installation of pumping facilities, and water supply support. Lee Jae-cheon, Director of Agricultural Infrastructure at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "We will carefully monitor rainfall and reservoir storage rates by region," adding, "We will closely cooperate with related organizations such as the Korea Rural Community Corporation to ensure there are no disruptions to farming next year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.