Korea Rural Community Corporation Secures Preemptive Water Supply for 115 Reservoirs to Prepare for Spring Drought

Cumulative Precipitation Over the Last 5 Months at 67% of the Average

Overall Reservoir Storage Remains Favorable

Intensive Management for 115 Reservoirs Expected to Face Shortages

Korea Rural Community Corporation has decided to take proactive measures to secure water at reservoirs that are at risk of shortages ahead of the rice planting season, when demand for agricultural water peaks.

On April 8, the Korea Rural Community Corporation announced that it will expand the number of regions designated for "preemptive water supply planning" this year from the originally planned 62 locations (8,642,000 tons) to 115 locations (16,634,000 tons).

Image showing the final inspection of the temporary pumping station facility for direct water supply to the pipeline of Mansu Reservoir in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Rural Community Corporation

A representative from the Korea Rural Community Corporation explained, "At the end of last year, we designated the preemptive water supply targets based on the expected precipitation for this year, but the actual precipitation was lower than anticipated. Therefore, we expanded the scope of preemptive water supply targets to prepare for potential shortages before the main farming season begins."

According to the Korea Rural Community Corporation, total accumulated precipitation nationwide over the past five months, from November last year to the end of March this year, was 130.9 mm, which is only 67.3% of the average 194.5 mm. As of April 6, the average reservoir storage rate across the 3,428 reservoirs managed by the corporation nationwide stands at 85.8%, which is 107% of the average year. While the overall storage situation is favorable, there are significant regional differences in rainfall, and drought could occur depending on changing weather conditions. As a result, the corporation is strengthening its proactive drought response system.

For the 115 regions designated for preemptive water supply, the corporation plans to implement region-specific measures to ensure there is no disruption to water supply during the farming season. These measures include pumping water from rivers to fill reservoirs, or in cases where the distance from the river is too great, directly supplying river water to agricultural water channels.

Injoong Kim, President of Korea Rural Community Corporation, stated, "We are closely monitoring the drought situation and the implementation of region-specific water supply measures in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Rural Development Administration, and local governments. As extreme weather events due to climate change become more frequent, we will do our utmost to secure and manage water resources in advance so that farmers can focus on their work with peace of mind."

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