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Inconsistent water usage limits infuriate Gangneung residents

Published: 08 Sep. 2025, 17:48

Residents receive bottled water at Gangnam Football Park in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Sept. 5. [YONHAP]

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon — Residents in Gangneung, Gangwon, are expressing frustration over unannounced water cuts as the city imposes restrictions to cope with a worsening drought.

“What are we supposed to do if they cut the water without warning?” said a resident surnamed Park who lives in an apartment complex in Gangneung, during a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday. “The water suddenly stopped in the morning and many residents complained to the management office. I don’t understand how we are supposed to live if they shut off the water day and night."

Gangneung began rationing water on Saturday, targeting large apartment complexes as part of emergency measures to preserve the Obong Reservoir, which supplies 87 percent of the city’s household water. Storage levels at the reservoir had fallen to 12.6 percent as of 11 a.m. on Sunday.

The city is now enforcing restrictions on 124 apartment complexes and large hotels supplied by the Hongje Plant. Each complex is expected to manage its own water use by monitoring storage tanks, conserving as much as possible and relying on water trucks every two to three days if supplies run dry.

The upper stream of the Obong Reservoir, a key water source in Gangneung, Gangwon, lies exposed amid an extreme drought on Sept. 7. [YONHAP]

At Park's 360-unit apartment complex, water service is shut off from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. But on Sunday, just three hours after service resumed, the management office imposed another cut at 9 a.m.

Outraged residents demanded answers, and water service resumed by 11 a.m. The schedule was adjusted to twice a day — from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Residents in other parts of the city voiced similar grievances.

One apartment complex posted a notice saying it had a 2-day supply but had been told to stretch the water over four days. Another complex posted a message saying, “The main water valve has been closed. As storage tanks are expected to run out by Tuesday, please conserve as much as possible.”

Water trucks line up to draw water from a stream in Gangneung, Gangwon, for transport as rain falls during the city’s worst drought on Sept. 7. [YONHAP]

Some complexes began hourly restrictions even before reservoir levels dipped below 10 percent, the threshold the city originally set for implementing such measures. Confusion mounted as residents reported dry taps without notice.

“There is not a single faucet in the house running,” one person wrote online, posting a photo of a bathroom sink.

A Gangneung official said the city could not dictate water-use hours for every complex because storage tank capacity varies.

“We calculated average daily consumption based on each tank’s size and set supply intervals accordingly,” the official said.

Authorities are scrambling to prevent further depletion of the Obong Reservoir.

Gangwon officials on Sunday mobilized military trucks, Navy and Coast Guard vessels, Army helicopters and private equipment to transport 29,793 tons of water to the reservoir and the Hongje plant.

Navy sailors supply fresh water to mobile storage tanks at the unloading pier of the Anin thermal power plant project in Gangneung, Gangwon, on Sept. 6. [NEWS1]

The operation included 400 military trucks, two Navy and Coast Guard ships, five Army helicopters, 45 municipal and private vehicles, 81 fire trucks and additional local government equipment.

If the reservoir falls below 10 percent, Gangneung plans to extend restrictions to the entire Hongje service area, affecting 53,485 water meters.

The first stage will limit usage between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. If the drought worsens, the city will move to an alternate-day supply and distribute bottled water. Each resident, except those in Jumunjin-eup, Wangsan-myeon and Yeongok-myeon, is currently being given 12 liters (3 gallons) of bottled water.

The Gangwon Fire Headquarters on Sunday requested that the National Fire Agency issue a second nationwide mobilization order.

Starting Monday, the agency will deploy 20 large-capacity water tankers from nine regions and establish an emergency repair unit for vehicles on site.

Meanwhile, 15 sixth-grade students at Unyang Elementary School in Gangneung delivered letters to the presidential office on Thursday calling for swift action to resolve the crisis.

“We think the president will wisely solve this problem,” they wrote to President Lee Jae Myung. “We wrote about the hardships and worries we face because of the drought, and although you are busy with state affairs, we would be grateful if you read it.”

The students also asked for solutions to ease daily burdens, noting that first graders struggle to carry bottled water distributed at school, that cafeterias and water dispensers have been shut down and that self-employed parents face economic strain.

They suggested the government consider issuing disaster relief coupons — government-issued vouchers or subsidies provided to citizens during natural disasters.

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 CHOI JONG-KWON, PARK JIN-HO [[email protected]]