Unmun Dam drought enters 'severe' stage; measures to be intensified

The Unmun Dam, a crucial water supply facility in South Korea's Nakdong River basin, has officially entered the 'severe' drought stage. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that drought response measures would be strengthened starting July 15.

This escalation follows earlier warnings, with the dam entering the 'attention' stage on February 10 and the 'caution' stage on March 2. Currently, four other dams in the Nakdong River basin, Andong, Imha, Miryang, and Yeongcheon, are in the 'caution' stage, while the Seomjin River basin's Seomjin and Pyeongnim dams are in the 'attention' stage.

Compounding the issue, rainfall in the Unmun Dam's basin has been alarmingly low. As of July 14, the basin received only 371mm of rain, just 64% of the annual average of 581mm. Critically, rainfall since June 21, the start of the monsoon season, has been a mere 18mm, a stark 8% of the usual 223mm. For the week of July 8-14, there was no rainfall at all.

This lack of precipitation has led to a significant deficit in water inflow. While the dam's average daily water supply is 290,000 tons, the inflow has averaged only 160,000 tons daily, causing reservoir levels to continuously drop. The current storage stands at 47.74 million tons, only 61% of the typical level for this time of year.

In response, measures implemented since the 'caution' stage, such as reducing river maintenance water by up to 100%, will be intensified. Water supply to surrounding cities will be reduced. Up to 57,000 tons of daily living and industrial water supplied to Daegu will be substituted with Nakdong River water. Similarly, up to 2,000 tons of daily water supplied to Gyeongsan will be replaced with Geumho River water. If reservoir levels continue to fall, up to 120,000 tons of Geumho River water may be used daily for these areas. Daegu, Gyeongsan, Yeongcheon, Cheongdo, and Chilgok, which receive water from Unmun Dam, will also enhance water management through system changes and reduced river water usage.

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Rainfall has not occurred in the Cheongdo area of Gyeongbuk this week, and the reservoir level of Unmun Dam continues to decrease. Currently, there are no problems with the supply of water for living and industrial use, but we will strengthen management of reservoir and water supply volumes in case of emergencies.