[Provided by Yeongyang-gun Council]
[Provided by Yeongyang-gun Council]

The Yeongyang-gun Council in North Gyeongsang Province held an emergency meeting Tuesday with about 20 civil servants from relevant executive departments to review measures for securing agricultural and household water supplies and protecting vulnerable residents amid an ongoing heat wave and drought.

According to the briefing, Yeongyang-gun is allocating a total of 314 million won ($220,000) to expand heat wave response infrastructure, including operating cooling shelters, installing heated and cooled seating at 16 locations, and running two water-spraying vehicles.

The county is also operating 12 parasol rental stations, distributing heat wave safety guides to 9,000 households, installing 78 cooling shelter signboards, and providing heat wave relief supplies to 1,100 vulnerable residents.

The drought situation is also a growing concern.

As of early August, cumulative rainfall in the Yeongyang area stood at 422.2 millimeters, just 68.2 percent of the historical average, while the reservoir storage rate has fallen to 49.4 percent — below normal levels.

The Dogok, Cheonggi and Hongso reservoirs — with storage rates of 29.6 percent, 33.4 percent and 19.8 percent, respectively — are being managed as drought-risk sites, with authorities adjusting discharge volumes and providing pumping equipment support.

Hong Jeom-pyo, speaker of the Yeongyang-gun Council, said the council would work closely with the executive branch to protect residents' lives and property from the heat wave and drought, with support measures for vulnerable groups carried out so that no one is left out.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com