Suncheon city lawmaker urges swift execution of third supplementary budget funds for small-scale agricultural infrastructure repairs and other drought relief measures
As prolonged heat waves and drought deepen hardship across farming communities, Suncheon City Council member Kim Mi-young, who represents the Wangjo 1-dong district, urged the city government to swiftly execute drought-related budget allocations in the third supplementary budget and prepare additional emergency measures.
Kim entered politics after a career at the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, where she served as branch manager, director and head of a regional division. "Fields and paddies are drying out under the scorching heat and insufficient rainfall," she said. "Upland crops and fruit trees in particular can suffer severe damage in a short period if water is not supplied in time." She stressed that proactive measures to deliver water and prevent damage before crops die are far more important than relief support after losses have already occurred.
Kim called on the city to quickly assess reservoir and groundwater well levels across all towns, townships and neighborhoods, monitor agricultural water supply conditions, identify areas at risk of crop damage, and strengthen a field-centered response system that prioritizes deploying personnel, equipment and funding to the most vulnerable areas first.
She also said the city should secure as many available assets as possible — including water pumps, supply hoses and water tanker trucks — and make full use of existing wells, reservoirs and streams to deliver water rapidly to farmland where supply is difficult.
Kim particularly noted the need for swift execution of drought-related budget items in the third supplementary budget, including the small-scale agricultural infrastructure repair project, and called for a medium- to long-term plan for agricultural water supply.
"With extreme heat and drought recurring due to climate change, there are limits to relying every year on stopgap measures like deploying water pumps and tanker trucks," she said. She proposed that Suncheon develop a comprehensive medium- and long-term agricultural water plan centered on chronically drought-prone areas, covering reservoir dredging, groundwater well development and maintenance, upgrades to aging irrigation facilities, expansion of water supply networks and securing of alternative water sources.
Kim urged once more that when the supplementary budget is approved, the city move quickly through the required procedures and prioritize projects that can deliver immediate results in the field — including small-scale agricultural infrastructure repairs, groundwater well development and maintenance, securing of pumping equipment and supply hoses, and direct water delivery support.
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