All firefighting resources nationwide will be mobilized to supply water to South Gyeongsang, which is suffering from prolonged heat waves and drought.
The National Fire Agency said it would issue a national firefighting mobilization order effective 8 p.m. on the 11th and deploy firefighting resources across the country to support the supply of agricultural and domestic water to South Gyeongsang. Accordingly, 200 water tank trucks and 400 firefighters from other city and provincial fire headquarters will be sent to South Gyeongsang and conduct emergency water supply operations through the 13th.
The measure followed President Lee Jae-myung's instruction to fully mobilize the necessary administrative capacity to minimize public damage from the heat wave and drought.
A national firefighting mobilization order is issued when it is difficult to respond to disasters such as fires with the firefighting resources of a particular city or province alone, or when resources must be mobilized at the national level.
According to the Agricultural Drought Management System (ADMS), the current average reservoir storage rate in South Gyeongsang is 33.5%, the lowest in the nation, and is at 46.8% of the normal storage rate of 72%. Of the 18 cities and counties in South Gyeongsang, 17 have entered agricultural water drought stages, and three—Miryang, Geoje and Haman—are at the "severe" stage.
Agricultural water drought stages are classified into four levels: "attention" (storage rate at 70% or less of normal; mild drought), "caution" (60% or less; moderate drought), "alert" (50% or less; severe drought), and "severe" (40% or less; extreme drought).