Environment ministry steps up Miryang Dam drought measures

The environment ministry said it placed Miryang Dam in a drought alert stage after continued weak rainfall in its watershed, stepping up protections for household and industrial water supplies.

Rainfall in the watershed totaled 447 millimeters this year, 52 percent of the typical level. Since the flood season began on June 21, it has received 50 millimeters, or 12 percent of normal rainfall.

"We will mobilize all available alternative water sources and work with local governments and related agencies as one team to make every effort to reduce releases and build up dam water reserves," Song Ho-seok, the environment ministry's water resources policy director, said.

The reservoir held 24.59 million tonnes of water, a storage rate of 33 percent and 52 percent of the average level. It provides 73 million cubic meters of water annually to Yangsan, Miryang and Changnyeong, including 50.8 million cubic meters for household and industrial use, 13.1 million cubic meters for agriculture and 9.1 million cubic meters for river maintenance.

The dam entered a watch stage on June 1 and a warning stage on June 10. After it reached the warning stage, the government cut agricultural water by 24,000 tonnes a day and river-maintenance water by 26,000 tonnes, supplying 194,000 tonnes a day.

The government will replace 8,000 tonnes a day of household and industrial water supplied by the dam to Miryang and Yangsan with river water from the Miryang and Nakdong rivers. It expects stable supplies this year even if drought conditions deepen.

Alert-stage operating rules require a further 20 percent to 30 percent cut in actual agricultural water use. The ministry said it would consider monthly use, rainfall and downstream river conditions in cutting agricultural supplies by as much as 91,000 tonnes a day. For August, deliveries may be cut from 33,000 tonnes a day to zero, while reductions in September could reach 57,000 tonnes a day.