Asian elephants cool off under a cold shower at Uchi Zoo in Buk District, Gwangju, on Aug. 4NEWS1
On a recent Tuesday, Dongbok Dam, the main water supply for Gwangju, was less than half full. Duckweed was spreading in thick green mats across the Yeongsan River.
The intense heat without barely any rain triggered the Gwangju government to raise its drought alert from the lowest "attention" to the next level "caution" on Friday.
The dam was 49.7 percent full on Sunday and 49.2 percent full on Tuesday, the city said. That is 57.6 percent of the water it would normally hold at this point in the year.
Dongbok holds about 89 million tons of water and sends Gwangju 250,000 to 300,000 tons a day for household use. Juam Dam, which is called on to make up the difference when Dongbok runs low, holds 707 million tons and stood at 39.1 percent on Tuesday.
Gwangju expects the two dams to keep water flowing at normal levels until the end of September even without further rain, but if October remains dry, the city plans to move to water-saving campaigns, restricted supply and alternative intake points.
Both dams dropped to 20 percent during the drought that hit southern Korea in 2023, and restricted supply was considered then.
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are to build four memory chip fabs in the Gwangju area, which will require long-term water management and new infrastructure.
Elsewhere in South Jeolla, Jangheung Dam was at 45.7 percent, Pyeongnim Dam at 53.8 percent and Sueo Dam at 64 percent. Reservoirs for farm use are classed as normal, at 44.6 percent in South Jeolla and 52.7 percent in Gwangju, but places with lower levels, Jangheung County among them, have cut releases and farmers are worried. The drought response stage for agricultural water in South Jeolla remains at "attention," the lowest of the fourtiers.
The cracked bed of Juam Dam is exposed in Suncheon, South Jeolla, on the afternoon of March 20, 2023.YONHAP
Damage to crops has been reported across 198 acres in 15 municipalities as of Saturday, officials said. Rice accounted for the largest share at 80 acres, followed by 25 acres of ginseng, 22 of soybeans and 11 of chili peppers. Hwasun County was worst hit at 48 acres, then Yeongamat 42, Jangheung at 39, Yeonggwang at 25 and Damyang at 22.
Gwangju had 147.6 millimeters (5.8 inches) of rain last month, 56.8 percent of the 259.4 millimeters that would be normal for July. Rain fell on 9.1 days against a normal 13.5, a drop of 4.4 days.
The shortfall is reaching the rivers. Stretches of the Yeongsan River, including Jiseok Stream in Naju, South Jeolla, have been covered over by duckweed, a floating plant that multiplies faster as water warms and slows.
Farmers set up a pump to draw water into a paddy as the bed of Donam Reservoir lies exposed by drought in Buk District, Daegu, on Aug. 11. Photo is unrelated to the articleYONHAP
Experts attribute the spread to lower flows and stagnant water left by the drought and the heat. A duckweed mat cuts off sunlight and oxygen at the surface, which lowers dissolved oxygen levels and can bring on foul water, bad smells and fish kills.
"A dry monsoon season followed by day after day of extreme heat has produced far more duckweed than in an ordinary year," a Gwangju official said. "We plan to work with the Yeongsan River Basin Environment Office and Naju to keep the water moving, including by opening floodgates."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
