Yokjido, easing water shortages with a seawater desalination facility

With the installation of a seawater desalination facility on Yokjido in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, the repeated water shortage problems on the island are expected to be eased. On the 23rd, South Gyeongsang Province announced that it has secured 1.4 billion won in national funding to ensure a stable supply of domestic water for Yokjido, and that construction related to the project will begin in October. The facility is designed to purify seawater and turn it into domestic water, serving to provide a new water source for Yokjido, where it is difficult to connect to the mainland water supply system. Until now, Yokjido has used rainwater and upstream inflow collected in a drinking water dam as domestic water, but when droughts continued, the dam's water level fell and water supply disruptions repeatedly occurred. As rainfall was scarce since last fall, the island even had to resort to emergency water supply in January this year. The province plans to carry out test operations and water quality inspections before deploying the facility onsite from early next year. Once completed, Yokjido will secure an alternative water source using seawater regardless of the dam's reservoir rate, allowing for a more stable water supply even during droughts.