Miryang City in South Gyeongsang Province announced on August 12 that it is deploying 40 fire trucks in collaboration with the National Fire Agency to urgently supply over 1,200 tons of agricultural water daily until August 13.
The action comes as prolonged heat and insufficient rainfall have caused local reservoir levels to drop to one-third of the average, prompting a 'serious' drought alert.
As of August 12, the average reservoir level in Miryang is at 24.7%, which is only 33.7% of the normal level of 73.2%. A level below 40% is classified as 'serious.'
This support follows the issuance of a national fire mobilization order by the National Fire Agency. A city official stated, "This request was not made directly by the city to the Fire Agency; it reflects the drought level and reservoir situation."
The 40 fire trucks, sourced from the Gyeonggi and Gangwon Fire Disaster Headquarters, are being deployed to areas such as Samrangjin-eup, Cheongdo-myeon, and Bukbu-myeon, which are struggling to secure agricultural water. The daily supply of 1,200 tons is calculated based on 40 fire trucks making an average of five round trips, sufficient to support approximately 40 hectares of farmland.
Muan-myeon and Chodong-myeon are excluded from this fire truck deployment as the city has separately rented water trucks to focus on those areas. The city has been operating these water trucks since August 3 and plans to continue their use even after the fire truck support ends on August 14.
The city is investing a total of 1.5 billion won in drought response efforts. Of this, 500 million won from special grants will be used for renting water trucks and pumping equipment, with 17 pumping units currently in operation.
The remaining 1 billion won from the disaster management fund will be fully allocated to the development of new groundwater wells. A total of 14 sites are targeted, with contracts for six sites nearing completion and the remaining eight to be pursued sequentially.
Regarding concerns about groundwater depletion due to expanded well development, the city maintains that it is not at that stage yet.
A city official noted, "The water levels in the Nakdong River and Miryang River are secure, so we are responding to adjacent farmland with temporary pumping operations, and we are only developing wells in areas without alternative water sources."
Mayor Ahn Byeong-gu expressed gratitude for the emergency water support from the Fire Agency amid growing concerns among farmers due to the ongoing heat and drought. He stated, "We will quickly allocate the secured resources and work closely with relevant agencies to ensure that agricultural water is supplied without disruption, focusing our administrative efforts on on-site responses and preventing crop damage."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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