Home > National > Social Affairs

Officials warn of critical water levels as reservoir nears 10 percent capacity

Published: 05 Sep. 2025, 12:24

Firefighters deliver water to Hongje Water Purification Plant in Gangneung’s Hongje-dong on Aug. 31 afternoon. [PARK JIN-HO]

Gangneung city will begin rationing tap water in areas supplied by the Hongje Water Purification Plant starting at 9 a.m. Saturday due to plunging reservoir levels caused by an ongoing drought.

The city said on Friday that the water supply in the Hongje service area had reached “critical levels” and that water restrictions would begin over the weekend.

Water supply valves will be shut off at 113 apartment complexes — home to approximately 45,000 households — and 10 large lodging facilities within the Hongje Water Purification Plant’s service area. The city plans to minimize inconvenience for residents by providing water via tanker trucks.

Amid what’s being called the worst drought in decades, the Obong Reservoir, the city’s main water source, dropped to just 13.3 percent of its capacity as of 6 a.m. Friday. The current level is one-fifth the average level for this time of year, which is 71.4 percent, and 0.2 percentage points lower than the day before. The reservoir has been hitting new lows daily, with officials warning that the 10-percent mark could soon be breached.

The city mobilized 434 tankers to deliver thousands of tons of raw water drawn from nearby rivers to the reservoir on Friday. Another 102 tankers carrying treated water are currently supplying the Hongje plant directly.

When the water level at the Obong Reservoir falls below 10 percent, the city implements a timed water supply system, restricting service between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. the next day. Further deterioration may trigger a second phase involving alternate-day rationing.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety says it is deploying 400 military tankers starting Sept. 4 to help address the drought in Gangneung, Gangwon. [MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR AND SAFETY]

The Coast Guard also deployed the 5,000-ton vessel Sam Bong in an emergency operation on Thursday. Despite the efforts, reservoir levels have been dropping by 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points each day, with limited impact so far.

If this trend continues, the city predicts the reservoir will fall below 10 percent by next weekend.

The city also began distributing some of the 2.47 million bottled water units it received from across the country on Thursday, starting with about 280,000 bottles for residents in Sacheon and Okgye. Distribution will expand citywide starting Saturday.

Rainfall of less than 0.1 millimeters was forecast for parts of central and northern Yeongdong on Friday, but it is unlikely to provide any real relief. Daytime highs are expected to reach 31 to 33 degrees Celsius (87.8 to 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit) inland, 26 to 28 degrees Celsius in the mountains, and 28 to 31 degrees Celsius along the east coast.

“We will restrict the water supply to large consumers — including apartment complexes and lodging facilities with water tanks larger than 100 tons — in the Hongje service area, and substitute with trucked-in water," said Gangneung Mayor Kim Hong-kyu, in a third emergency press briefing held Friday morning at City Hall.

“We will do everything we can to prevent crop losses by operating all available water sources at maximum capacity,” said Kim, urging all residents to conserve water. He also said the city is pursuing a plan to provide tangible incentives to households that actively participate in drought-response water conservation efforts.

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.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]