On the 20th, the Seoul City government announced it will support the city of Gangneung in Gangwon Province, which is experiencing a drinking water shortage due to a recent drought, with 8,400 bottles of "purified Arisu".
The purified Arisu supported by the Seoul City government comes in 2-liter (L) bottles, packaged in groups of six for a total of 1,400 sets. They are expected to arrive in Gangneung around 1 p.m. that day.
Gangneung has been suffering from severe drought recently. The cumulative rainfall over the past six months has been 386.9 millimeters (mm), which is 51.5% of the average. As of the 19th, the water supply rate of the Obong Reservoir, which provides living water to Gangneung, has fallen to 21.8%, the lowest level recorded. As a result, the Obong Reservoir will only be able to supply water for another 25 days.
The Seoul City government plans to provide additional purified Arisu if the drought in Gangneung persists. According to the Seoul City government, the stock of purified Arisu consists of 104,000 bottles of 350 milliliters (ml) and 20,000 bottles of 2 liters, totaling 120,000 bottles.
"We will continue to provide purified Arisu to areas experiencing difficulties in supplying drinking water," said Lee Hwa-seung, head of the Seoul Arisu Headquarters.