"Reservoirs to Preemptively Release 1 Billion Tons Ahead of Heavy Rains... Emergency Flood Alerts at Maximum Volume"

Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment Presents "2026 Summer Flood Countermeasures"
Securing Hidden Water Storage, Saving 4 Trillion Won Without New Dams

The government is set to establish a large-scale flood response system this summer by utilizing agricultural reservoirs, power generation dams, and estuary barrages to prepare for heavy rainfall and urban flooding. The plan involves preemptively lowering water levels at storage facilities to secure additional capacity to absorb rainwater during torrential downpours.

On May 12, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment reported these measures in its "2026 Summer Flood Countermeasures" plan presented at a Cabinet meeting presided over by the President at the Blue House. The natural disaster response period will run from May 15 to October 15. The government has determined that, due to the increasing frequency of localized torrential downpours caused by climate change, the existing response system is no longer sufficient. Accordingly, this year’s strategy focuses on "securing hidden water storage" and implementing intelligent flood response systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin (DT) technology.

On the 11th, as heavy rain continued mainly in the central region, employees at the Hangang Flood Control Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, were monitoring the current water level of the Hangang River. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

First, the government will secure up to an additional 1.04 billion tons of flood control capacity—using agricultural reservoirs, power generation dams, and estuary barrages—compared to previous years. A government official explained, "This is equivalent to the capacity of three Hantan River Dams and is expected to save approximately 4 trillion won in budget costs by avoiding the need for new dam construction."

The water storage capacity of agricultural reservoirs will be increased from the current 640 million tons to up to 1.06 billion tons through preemptive water releases and other measures. Flood control capacity will also be newly secured at the Geum River, Yeongsan River, and Nakdong River estuary barrages, as well as the Asan Bay sea wall, by revising operational standards for the flood season, with up to 150 million tons of additional flood control capacity to be created.

The flood control functions of power generation dams will also be significantly enhanced. Hydroelectric dams operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power will increase their flood control capacity from the current 380 million tons to up to 850 million tons through preemptive water releases and other measures. The Goesan Dam, which experienced overflow during the 2023 flood, will operate its emergency discharge facilities to respond to the highest flood levels recorded in the past.

Kim Sung-hwan, Minister of the Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment, is announcing the energy transition promotion plan on the 6th at the Government Complex Seoul Annex in Jongno-gu, Seoul. 2026.4.6 Photo by Jo Yongjun

The government is also strengthening its forecasting systems. For the first time this year, a public alert service for urban flooding forecasts will be pilot-operated in six districts around Gangnam Station and Sindaebang Station in Seoul. When the possibility of flooding is anticipated, a "flood advisory" will be issued; if actual flooding is expected, a "flood warning" will be announced to support resident evacuation and vehicle control.

The accuracy of AI-powered flood forecasts will also be improved. The Korea Meteorological Administration and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment will expand the application of radar-based AI ultra-short-term precipitation prediction models from the South Korean mainland to the entire Korean Peninsula, and improve the resolution from 8 kilometers to 1 kilometer. Flood risk area management will also be enhanced: the period for inspecting and cleaning rainwater collection inlets will be extended from the previous June–October to May–October, and the government will support the installation of 185,000 manhole fall-prevention devices. In addition, AI capabilities will be introduced to 2,152 national river CCTV locations to enable real-time monitoring of hazardous situations.

In the case of disaster text alerts, while information for the "severe" flood stage was previously sent via safety guide texts, it will now be upgraded to emergency disaster alerts delivered at maximum volume. The government expects this will help accelerate resident evacuation in situations immediately preceding river overflows.

Kim Sung Hwan, Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, said, "Securing water storage in existing dams, reservoirs, and estuary barrages enables us to save trillions of won in budget costs. We will strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation and actively utilize facilities not previously used for flood control to make every effort to prepare for this summer’s floods."

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