South Gyeongsang governor inspects drought and heat wave conditions in Miryang

South Gyeongsang Province Governor Park Wan-su visited Miryang on Monday to assess agricultural water supply conditions and heat wave protections for vulnerable residents, as heat wave advisories and major heat wave alerts remained in effect across the province.

Park visited Garye Reservoir in Muan-myeon, Miryang, to review water storage levels and measures to secure agricultural water supplies.

Managed by the Korea Rural Community Corporation, Garye Reservoir supplies irrigation water to 58.5 hectares of rice paddies. Its current storage rate stands at 11.1 percent, far below the seasonal average of 78 percent.

A first round of irrigation for rice-farming households has been completed, and no direct damage such as cracked paddy fields has been reported. However, if rainfall remains insufficient, an agricultural water shortage could become acute from mid-August, when a second round of irrigation will be needed.

South Gyeongsang Province and Miryang city have activated emergency pumping stations and are maintaining agricultural water facilities, including public wells. An emergency response system is also in place to address on-site problems such as pump and water-lifting equipment failures.

Park then visited a cooling shelter at the Dare Motan senior center in Muan-myeon, where he checked the operation of air conditioning systems and the health of local residents.

"Heat waves and drought are compound disasters that simultaneously threaten the lives and daily routines of residents and the foundations of agricultural production," Park said. "We must proactively identify risk factors on the ground and respond swiftly."

South Gyeongsang Province plans to hold an emergency heat wave and drought response meeting at the provincial office Tuesday, bringing together heads of cities and counties along with officials from the Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea Water Resources Corporation and Korea Rural Community Corporation to review response plans across all sectors.