Supply disruptions to agricultural and tap water due to heatwave and drought in the Yeongnam region

Severe heat and drought continue across the Yeongnam region, including Pohang and Cheongdo in North Gyeongsang Province, putting emergency pressure on securing agricultural and household water supplies. In Hwaedaeri, Gagyemyeon, Bukgu, Pohang, repair work has begun to reactivate an old agricultural water well, and Cheongdo County is preparing for planned water shutdowns amid a sharp increase in tap water usage. The average reservoir storage rate in the Pohang area has fallen to about half of the normal level, and some reservoirs have dropped to around 20%. The city has begun securing agricultural water by investing disaster management funds and the like into river excavation, well installation, and pump support. As the water level of the Hyeongsan River fell and seawater flowed back to the intake point, the chlorine ion concentration in tap water at one point rose to twice the upper standard limit, triggering a series of complaints. In Cheongdo County, demand exceeding the water treatment plant's supply capacity has arisen, and partial water outages are being considered in some areas. The county is distributing bottled water in preparation for the outage and is informing residents not to use tap water for crops. The reservoir level of Unmun Dam has fallen to 26.5%, making it the only wateruse dam in the country currently under the drought "severe" stage.