"Responding to the Drought Crisis" ...Changwon Special City Holds Emergency Heatwave and Drought Response Meeting

Mayor Kang Gi-yoon: "Prioritizing Citizen Safety
Through Proactive, Field-Oriented Response"

As citizens and farmers have been struggling due to the recent heatwave and drought, Changwon City held an emergency response meeting and began its full-scale response.

On July 29, Changwon Special City urgently convened a "Heatwave and Drought Emergency Response Meeting" at the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the city hall to address the ongoing heatwave warnings and the drought crisis caused by insufficient rainfall. The city focused on intensively reviewing the status of each sector’s response.

Changwon Special City Holds Emergency Countermeasures Meeting on Record Heatwave and Drought.
[Photo by Changwon City]

On this day, Mayor Kang Gi-yoon of Changwon Special City checked the operational status of the "Heatwave Response Task Force Team," which consists of 16 collaborative departments. He instructed a reinforcement of the emergency response system, strengthening recommendations to halt outdoor work and farming activities—especially in rice paddies and fields—during the hottest part of the day (12 p.m. to 4 p.m.) when cases of heat-related illnesses are most concentrated, as well as enhancing monitoring activities. He also gave directions for proactive measures to prepare for the prolonged drought.

To prevent damage from the heatwave, the city operates 1,010 cooling shelters and 431 heatwave mitigation facilities. In particular, key cooling shelters are now open longer at night and available on weekends. The number of village broadcast messages urging citizens to refrain from outdoor activities during peak heat hours has been increased from once a day to two or three times a day.

Regarding drought countermeasures, the city is strengthening its emergency response system by monitoring the real-time water retention rates of local reservoirs and by pre-securing and deploying drought response equipment such as pumps and water hoses to ensure a stable supply of agricultural water.

Mayor Kang Gi-yoon stated, "Heatwaves and droughts are serious disasters that directly affect the lives and livelihoods of citizens," and stressed, "Intensive management is needed for outdoor workers in their 50s and 60s and for elderly farmers, who are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses."

He added, "We will mobilize all available administrative resources and budgets proactively to prevent any loss of life, and thoroughly maintain the emergency water supply system until the drought is alleviated to ensure that there are no crop damages or inconveniences in household water supply."

Following the emergency response meeting, Changwon City must provide every possible administrative and material support to ensure that citizens and farmers do not experience difficulties or discomfort due to the drought and heatwave.

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