South Korean County Scales Back Water Park Amid Severe Drought

Cheongdo County in South Korea is reducing operations at its popular children's water playground in response to a critical water shortage exacerbated by ongoing heatwaves and drought. The county announced on August 5 that the 'Bitnarae Sangsangmadang Children's Water Playground,' a free facility, will operate on a reduced schedule to share the hardship with residents facing severe water restrictions and to promote water conservation.

Specifically, the toddler pool and the 'stream' area, which are primarily used by infants and young children, will be suspended. This measure is taken to guarantee safe water quality, which is difficult to maintain with limited supply. The county cited concerns about potential skin diseases and infectious diseases among vulnerable infants if adequate clean water cannot be supplied.

While the toddler facilities will be closed, the remaining water play areas will operate minimally on weekdays and return to normal operation on weekends, excluding the stream. This phased approach aims to balance the need for water conservation with providing some recreational opportunities for children during the summer.

The county's water supply situation has become precarious, with the reservoir's water level dropping to 20%. Although planned water outages for the affected areas (Pungak, Gakbuk, and Iseo) have not yet been implemented, Cheongdo County has distributed approximately 42,000 bottles of water and deployed eight water trucks to supply reservoirs as a precautionary measure. This highlights the severity of the drought impacting the region.