[Opinion] Climate Change and My Father's Shovel

Kim Jeong-seok, Head of Water Resources Management Department, Haenam-Wando Branch, Korea Rural Community Corporation

Starting from the end of June, this summer's monsoon season repeatedly experienced heatwaves and heavy rains. Even during heatwave warnings, torrential rains sometimes poured down fiercely, leading to heavy rain warnings being issued, causing significant damage nationwide. It seems that this summer's monsoon is now coming to a close in a lull accompanied by intense heatwaves.

This year's monsoon brought the highest rainfall in recorded meteorological history at Eocheongdo, Jeonbuk Province, with a 500-year frequency rainfall amount. As already mentioned in the media, unlike previous years, it was so extreme that it would not be surprising to attach various new climate change-related terms such as sudden heavy rain, flash floods, "dokkaebi" monsoon, or stealth monsoon.

It was a time when it was difficult to prepare for heavy rains due to unpredictable weather warnings and the stationary front over the Korean Peninsula with strong mobility. All these situations have become a daily reality that can only be explained by climate change and weather anomalies caused by global warming.

The corporation, responsible for water management and facility maintenance in rural farming and fishing villages, has been thoroughly strengthening its natural disaster response capabilities during the flood season (6.21?9.20) due to climate change, more rigorously than in previous years, starting before the farming season.

In particular, the Haenam and Wando areas consist of complex water management systems including mountainous, plain, and coastal (island) regions, requiring considerable attention to inflow and drainage. Recently, due to the distribution of short-growing period glutinous rice cultivation complexes (689ha), it is also a region where diversified water management characteristics must be considered by management zones.

Therefore, to prepare for extreme heavy rains during the flood season, reservoir water levels were managed at an average of 70% or less compared to full capacity, securing initial flood control and pre-storage capacity (about 10 million tons). This enabled the prevention of major flood damage such as river overflows even during the record-breaking rainfall in Haenam in July, with a 200-year frequency rainfall of 78.1mm and a maximum daily rainfall of 163mm in some areas (Masanmyeon, Haenam).

Additionally, staff were stationed at major drainage gate facilities such as Gocheonam Lake in Haenam and Wando Lake to meticulously manage water levels inside the embankments by releasing freshwater reservoirs according to tidal levels. Within the beneficiary areas, to prevent flooding of low-lying farmland, drainage pump stations were operated day and night together with water facility monitors, striving to protect the safety of local residents and prevent damage to valuable property.

As part of ongoing efforts to respond to the normalized climate change, the corporation plans to continue projects such as modernization of water facilities and dredging of sediment (340,000 tons) accumulated in 11 agricultural reservoirs by the end of this year to restore their functions, ensuring stable water resources and preventing natural disasters like heavy rains.

Vivid memories come to mind of my childhood when, during the farming season rains, my father would unfailingly place a shovel between the front and rear wheels of his bicycle late at night or early dawn and go out to check the irrigation channels in the rice paddies.

During this monsoon season with heavy rains like these days, along with memories of my father going out to the fields with a shovel, the corporation will do its utmost to ensure safe farming and food security in Korea by establishing information sharing and mutual cooperation systems with local governments and disaster-related agencies. It will also continue to dedicate its best efforts together with water facility monitors who always devote themselves to water management and natural disaster response in rural farming and fishing areas.

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