North Korea's Drinking Water Also at Risk... "Many Levees Collapsed in the Lower Amnok River"

Satellite Images Show Lowlands Flooded... Water Purification Plant Expected to be Submerged
Vulnerable Infrastructure... Concerns Over Drinking Water Shortage and Waterborne Diseases

In North Korea, where flooding occurred due to the swollen Yalu River from heavy rain, it is estimated that many embankments in the flood-affected areas have collapsed.

According to the US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 6th, such signs were captured in satellite images from the private satellite service 'Planet Labs' dated the 2nd. The satellite images show that many embankments built to prevent flood damage in Donghari village on Wiwha Island in the Yalu River have collapsed, causing low-lying areas to be submerged. A long water channel about 4 km crossing Wiwha Island has even formed.

Satellite image taken on the 2nd of the Amnok River basin, where flooding occurred. The river overflowed, flooding low-lying areas and creating a water stream crossing Wiwha Island. [Image source=Radio Free Asia (RFA)]

Wiwha Island is a 'hajungdo' (river island) similar to Yeouido in the Han River and administratively belongs to Sinuiju City, North Pyongan Province. Due to the heavy rain continuing since the end of last month, severe flooding occurred in the Sinuiju City and Uiju County areas, with significant casualties reported.

Jacob Bogle, a US satellite image analyst, said, "Most of the damage appears to be limited to farmland and agricultural buildings, but when the flooding was severe, it is possible that several dozen houses were submerged." He added, "From the current satellite images, the Sinuiju water purification plant does not appear to be underwater, but it may have been flooded during the peak water levels at the end of last month."

North Korea suffers from chronic drinking water contamination due to poor infrastructure. If the water purification plant is flooded, there is an immediate risk of drinking water shortages and exposure to waterborne diseases. Park Ji-hyun, a senior researcher at the Asia-Pacific Strategy Center (CAPS) from Cheongjin, North Hamgyong Province, pointed out, "North Korea is vulnerable to infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery because tap water is unreliable, and people rely on river water or wells."

The Sinuiju water purification plant was also flooded during heavy rains in August 2010. At that time, the International Red Cross provided 5.8 million liters of drinking water. However, currently, the North Korean authorities are not allowing international organization staff who left Pyongyang during the COVID-19 pandemic to re-enter, making international aid uncertain. Chairman Kim Jong-un rejected even South Korea's offer of assistance, calling it "an enemy that cannot change."

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