Southern Korea’s water situation is worsening. According to the government’s August drought forecast and warning, as of the 1st, meteorological drought was underway in 48 cities and counties nationwide. Busan, Gimhae, and Ulju are at the “warning” stage of severe drought.
Over the past six months, nationwide cumulative precipitation came to 603.0 mm, or 82.3% of the average for the same period. In South Gyeongsang Province, the reservoir fill rate for agricultural use fell to 39.6%. The national average reservoir fill rate for agricultural reservoirs was 53.2%, only 76.1% of the normal level.
The more serious issue is that rainfall was not evenly distributed across the country. Cumulative precipitation varied widely by region, ranging from 62.5% to over 99% of the average.
Among the country’s 19 multipurpose dams, total stored water stood at 104.3% of the usual level, which appears stable at first glance. But the details tell a different story. Dams in the Han River basin held 121.1% of their average water levels, while those in the Nakdong River basin stood at 84.4% and those in the Seomjin River basin at 75.2%.
The 12 water-supply dams that provide domestic and industrial water stored only 66.1% of their average volume. In the Nakdong and Seomjin river basins alone, 11 multipurpose dams and 10 water-supply dams are at or below average levels.
Conditions at agricultural reservoirs are even worse. As of the 3rd, the national average fill rate was 53.2%, just 76.1% of the normal level.
South Gyeongsang’s fill rate dropped to 39.6%, and North Jeolla also stood at only 44.6%. Farmers must prepare for the fall planting season with barely half the usual amount of water.
Multipurpose dams supply water for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use while also serving flood-control functions. Water-supply dams are specialized facilities for supplying water to specific regions. A shortage in water-supply dams means the margin for water supply in those areas has narrowed significantly.
The extreme divergence in water conditions within one country is being attributed to the precipitation imbalance caused by climate change. Rain is increasingly concentrated in certain basins while other basins dry out, and this pattern is becoming more pronounced each year.
Drought is determined less by total annual rainfall than by how that rainfall is distributed. Even if the same amount falls, a concentration in one basin leaves another dry. That is why support is growing for managing water by watershed rather than by administrative district.
Drought crisis levels are also concentrated in the south. Unmun Dam is at the “severe” stage, Milyang Dam and the Seomjin River Dam are at “warning,” and Seongdeok Dam, Andong Dam, Imha Dam, Yeongcheon Dam, and Pyeongnim Dam are at “caution.” All eight are water sources in the Yeongnam and Honam regions.
The drought alert levels rise in the order of watch, caution, warning, and severe. “Severe” is the final stage before normal water supply can be disrupted.
Even so, tap water supply has not been interrupted, thanks to prior adjustments to the distribution system. Unmun Dam is supplementing shortages with diverted river water from the Nakdong and Geumho rivers. The other dams, including Milyang Dam and the Seomjin River Dam, are gradually adjusting supply by reducing agricultural water and river maintenance flow.
Government response is also accelerating. On the 6th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Korea Meteorological Administration held a meeting to review heatwave and drought response measures and examined water supply plans by agency. Discussions focused on securing agricultural water in the southern regions. Current countermeasures in the south include filling reservoirs with river water, direct supply through irrigation channels, and deployment of water trucks.
Kim Yong-gun, head of the Natural Disaster Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, “We will work closely with relevant ministries to closely monitor drought conditions nationwide and aggressively manage at-risk areas in advance to minimize damage to the public.”
There are limits to relying on emergency water supply to hold out. Moving beyond a supply structure dependent on a single dam or basin, and connecting waterways between basins, is being cited as a structural solution. The case of Unmun Dam surviving on Nakdong River water shows that inter-basin supply is already working in practice.
Demand management to reduce water use is also being raised as a task. Many argue that agricultural water, which accounts for a large share of total water use, should be addressed first. Representative measures include drip irrigation to control the timing and volume of water application, and leakage reduction through maintenance of aging irrigation canals.
Securing alternative water sources, such as rainwater retention facilities and wastewater reuse, is classified as a medium- to long-term task. Other options include dredging reservoirs to expand storage capacity and integrated water management that combines groundwater and river water.
Because adjusting the supply system inevitably requires cuts in agricultural water, there are also calls for supplementary measures to reduce harm to farmers. With major southern cities now at the “warning” stage, it is seen as a time for both households and industrial sites to reduce water use.
The weather outlook provides a window for preparation. Rainfall in August and September is forecast to be below average, while October is expected to be above average. To withstand the coming two dry months and make the most of autumn rainfall, reservoirs, dam storage, and river-water linkage networks need to be improved in advance.
It will be difficult to rely on autumn rain alone. Average October precipitation is just 37.0 to 64.3 mm, far below the August average of 225.3 to 346.7 mm. Even if rainfall exceeds the norm, the absolute amount is small, making it crucial how the remaining August and September are managed.
Drought approaches slowly, unlike torrential rain. That also means there is still time to prepare. Southern Korea’s water situation in autumn will depend on where water is drawn from and how much is saved over the next two months.