Unmun Dam Reaches 'Severe' Drought Stage... Alternative Water Supply Increased to 113,000 Tons

As Unmun Dam, the main water supply dam in the Nakdong River basin, has entered the 'severe' drought stage, the government is strengthening its drought response, including expanding alternative supply of residential and industrial water to the Daegu and Gyeongsan regions.

On July 15, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced that, as of midnight, Unmun Dam (Cheongdo County, Gyeongbuk) had reached the 'severe' drought stage for water supply dams and that emergency measures would be implemented to reserve dam water supplies.

On May 31, 2022, the water level of Unmun Dam in Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongbuk province is low. The drought index for Daegu, Gyeongsan, Yeongcheon, and Cheongdo is currently at the "severe" level, indicating an extreme drought. As of the previous day, the reservoir rate of Unmun Dam, which supplies water to Daegu, Gyeongsan, Yeongcheon, and Cheongdo, is 25.9%. Yonhap News

Unmun Dam's reservoir levels have been falling rapidly this year due to insufficient rainfall in the watershed. Cumulative rainfall so far this year totals 371 mm, which is 64% of the average year (581 mm). In particular, from June 21 to July 14, after the start of the flood season, rainfall was only 18 mm, just 8% of the average for the period (223 mm).

Currently, Unmun Dam supplies an average of 290,000 tons of water per day, but daily inflow has remained at about 160,000 tons, causing the reservoir volume to continue to decline. The current reservoir volume is 47.74 million tons, which is 61% of the average level for this time of year.

To reserve Unmun Dam water, the government will increase the volume of alternative water supply for residential and industrial use in Daegu City from the Nakdong River from the current 50,000 tons per day to a maximum of 107,000 tons per day. The alternative supply of residential and industrial water for Gyeongsan City from the Geumho River will also be increased from 4,000 tons to a maximum of 6,000 tons per day. As a result, the total alternative water supply for the Daegu and Gyeongsan regions will increase by up to 59,000 tons per day compared to the current level.

In addition, if the water level at Unmun Dam continues to decline, the emergency supply facilities on the Geumho River will be operated flexibly to provide up to an additional 120,000 tons of residential and industrial water per day by utilizing river water from the Geumho River. At the same time, the drought alert stage for residential and industrial water will be raised to 'caution' for Daegu City, Gyeongsan City, Yeongcheon City, Cheongdo County, and Chilgok County, all of which receive water from Unmun Dam, in order to strengthen water management systems.

Previously, Unmun Dam entered the 'attention' drought stage on February 10 and the 'watch' stage on March 2, after which it continued to operate on a tight schedule by flexibly reducing river maintenance water by up to 100%.

Song Hoseok, Director of Water Resources Policy at the Ministry of Climate, said, "We will closely monitor reservoir volumes and water supply to ensure there are no disruptions in water supply during this drought."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.