Interior ministry provides 25 billion won for drought, heat

The interior ministry said Monday it will provide 25 billion won ($17.6 million) in emergency funding to 16 cities and provinces to respond to prolonged heat waves and drought.

The move follows a presidential instruction issued Aug. 6 to mobilize all administrative resources to minimize public harm from the heat and drought.

Local authorities can use the funding for well development, river excavation, alternative water sources, reservoir dredging, water-spraying trucks, cooling shelters and monitoring vulnerable people.

The allocation follows 35.8 billion won ($25.2 million) in disaster-safety special grants made available for drought and heat response earlier this summer, bringing total support to 60.8 billion won ($42.8 million). The ministry said it would closely manage disbursement by local governments, continue monitoring conditions and take necessary measures promptly.

"The prolonged extreme heat and drought have created a grave situation in which people's daily lives are under threat," Yoon Ho-joong, the interior minister, said. "The central and local governments will cooperate closely and make every effort to minimize harm to the public."