Cheongdo county chief inspects drought, heat wave damage with Prime Minister Han

Cheongdo-gun County Chief Park Kwon-hyeon visited Unmun Dam on Saturday alongside Prime Minister Han Seong-sook to assess current reservoir levels and drought-related damage in the region.

During the visit, Park urged the prime minister to address the tap water shortage in Cheongdo-gun and find lasting solutions to water supply problems at Unmun Dam — a key facility for residential water supply across the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province region. He also requested government support to minimize crop damage from the drought and ease the financial burden on farming households.

Among the key proposals, Park called for the early implementation of a project to build a dual water transmission pipeline (tunnel) from Unmun Dam at a cost of 101.8 billion won ($71.8 million), aimed at resolving the drinking water shortage and stabilizing the water supply system. He also requested an additional 3.3 billion won in national budget funding for 2027 to repair aging water pipe networks in Cheongdo-gun.

Park further called for 1.3 billion won in national funding to cover electricity and fuel costs for operating water wells, well development and riverbed excavation, and requested that the area be designated a special disaster zone.

Cheongdo-gun is already pursuing a range of emergency measures to prevent further drought and heat wave damage — including emergency agricultural water supply through riverbed excavation, full operation of more than 410 agricultural bedrock wells, emergency bottled water support in preparation for water cutoffs, and the deployment of water-spraying vehicles on major urban roads to ease the urban heat island effect.

"The continuing drought and heat wave are putting residents at serious risk," Park said. "I will do my utmost to ensure that the projects needed for drought response and heat wave countermeasures are actively reflected following this on-site visit by the prime minister."