Government Reviews and Encourages Progress on Drought Countermeasures in Southern Regions

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[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 29th that, as the drought in the southern regions is expected to continue for the time being, it has inspected the drought status and response measures of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Meteorological Administration, and five cities and provinces (Gwangju, Jeonnam·Jeonbuk, Gyeongnam, Gangwon). It encouraged that drought countermeasures be implemented more swiftly and meticulously accordingly.

Although heavy snowfall (40 cm) occurred in the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas from the 22nd to the 24th, the precipitation amounted to only 7.4 mm, which did not help alleviate the drought. It is expected that precipitation will be similar to or less than the average until February next year, so meteorological drought is forecasted to persist.

Furthermore, if dry weather continues, there is a possibility that damage will further expand, such as restrictions on the supply of domestic water and the expansion of emergency water supply in island and mountainous areas. Accordingly, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety encouraged the rapid execution of the special drought relief fund of 16.1 billion won, which was allocated last December to Gwangju, Jeonnam, and other areas.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will prepare and implement proactive water supply measures in preparation for next year’s farming season, including filling water by pumping river water and directly supplying water to farmland using river water and agricultural drainage.

The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, in consultation with Korea Water Resources Corporation and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, are promoting a plan to use water from Boseonggang Dam, located upstream of Juam Dam, for domestic and industrial water supply to ensure no disruption in water supply to the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas. This can be seen as an example of inter-ministerial cooperation between the government and related agencies to overcome the drought.

In addition, the government is making every effort to prepare in advance by expanding water storage capacity through reservoir dredging, developing water resources for drought preparedness, and supplying tap water to areas lacking drinking water to fundamentally resolve the drought.

Lee Hangyeong, Director of Disaster Management at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, “We will continuously monitor the drought situation in the southern regions to ensure prompt government support and will do our best to overcome the drought through organic cooperation between central and local governments.”

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