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| ▲ The 5,000-ton Sam Bong Coast Guard patrol ship supplies water to fire trucks at Anin Port in the drought-hit city of Gangneung, about 210 kilometers east of Seoul, on Sept. 3, 2025. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ A firefighting helicopter drops water over Obong Reservoir in the drought-hit city of Gangneung, about 210 kilometers east of Seoul, on Sept. 5, 2025, in a bid to raise its water storage level. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Gangneung-drought
(LEAD) Soldiers, fire trucks, Coast Guard ship deployed to supply water to drought-hit Gangneung
(ATTN: ADDS details in paras 5-7, photo)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- Full-scale efforts have been launched to supply water to the drought-hit city of Gangneung, deploying hundreds of soldiers, dozens of fire trucks and a Coast Guard patrol vessel, officials said Friday.
Last Saturday, the government declared the drought in the eastern coastal city as a state of disaster after the water storage level of its main water source fell to a record low of 15.7 percent.
Since then, the National Fire Agency has mobilized 71 fire trucks, while the Coast Guard has dispatched a 5,000-ton vessel tasked with patrolling the East Sea to supply water to the city.
On Thursday, the defense ministry began deploying some 800 troops and around 400 water tankers to supply water to Obong Reservoir, the city's main water source.
Gangneung city said Friday it would partially limit supplying water to 123 large-scale water consumers, including apartment complexes and accommodation facilities, from Saturday in a bid to combat the drought.
If the water storage level falls below 10 percent, it plans to roll out further water conservation measures in phases, such as restricting water use from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. or even every other day.
As of 6 a.m. Friday, the Obong Reservoir's water storage level stood at 13.3 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from the previous day.
Other municipal governments, including the city of Incheon, just west of Seoul, have joined the effort to send bottled water and water tankers to Gangneung. Companies, including e-commerce giant Coupang, have also sent bottled water to the city.
As of Wednesday, Gangneung secured 2.47 million bottles of water and was set to distribute them to its residents.
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