Heavy rains ease severe drought in South Gyeongsang Province, though flooding causes casualties

Three days of rain over the Liberation Day holiday weekend have partially relieved a severe drought that had gripped southern South Korea.

As of 2 p.m. Monday, the average reservoir level for agricultural water across 18 cities and counties in South Gyeongsang Province stood at 43.1%, recovering to 61.7% of the long-term average of 69.8%. That marked a 1.6 percentage point rise from the 41.5% recorded at 10 a.m. the same day.

The figure represents a sharp rebound from Friday, when the reservoir level was 32.2% — just 41.4% of the long-term average — before the holiday rains began.

Although the heavy rains caused casualties and property damage in the southern part of South Gyeongsang Province, they proved a significant boon for drought relief.

Agricultural drought in South Korea is classified into four stages based on how reservoir levels compare with the 30-year average: Attention (below 70%, mild drought), Caution (below 60%, moderate drought), Alert (below 50%, severe drought) and Serious (below 40%, extreme drought).

As of Friday, five of the province's 18 cities and counties — Miryang, Geoje, Haman-gun, Uiryeong-gun and Changnyeong-gun — were at the Serious stage.

Nine others — Changwon, Jinju, Tongyeong, Gimhae, Yangsan, Goseong-gun, Hadong-gun, Sancheong-gun and Hapcheon-gun — were at Alert, while Sacheon, Namhae-gun and Geochang-gun were at Caution and Hamyang-gun was at Attention, meaning every city and county in the province was under some degree of drought stress.

By 2 p.m. Monday, however, the number of areas at the Serious stage had fallen to just one: Miryang.

Uiryeong-gun, Changnyeong-gun and Hapcheon-gun improved to Alert; Hapcheon-gun, Hadong-gun and Geochang-gun moved to Caution; and Jinju, Gimhae, Yangsan, Haman-gun and Hamyang-gun eased to Attention.

Six cities and counties along the southern coast — Changwon, Geoje, Tongyeong, Sacheon, Goseong-gun and Namhae-gun — where the heaviest rain fell, exited drought conditions entirely.

Geoje's reservoir level had been just 28.7% as of Friday, or 36.5% of the long-term average, but more than 800 millimeters of rain fell between Saturday and Monday, sending the level surging to 73.6% — equivalent to 94.1% of the long-term average of 78.2%.

Korea Meteorological Administration automated weather station readings showed exceptionally high rainfall totals across all 18 cities and counties in South Gyeongsang Province from Saturday through Sept. 3: Geoje recorded 877 mm, Tongyeong 730 mm, Namhae-gun 292 mm, Changwon 184 mm, Uiryeong-gun 141 mm, Miryang 130 mm and Changnyeong-gun 78.5 mm.