From using paper plates to skipping laundry, Gangneung struggles through drought

A drought afflicting Gangneung, Gangwon, has residents scrambling for water-saving tips while decrying consumption by tourists as the summer beach season proved to be popular as the city eyes even further restrictions on locals.

The riverbed and Obong Reservoir, a major water source in Gangneung, Gangwon, are exposed due to a drought on Aug. 24. [YONHAP]

Residents of Gangneung, Gangwon, are facing major inconveniences due to a prolonged drought that has disrupted their access to daily necessities like tap water.

Several posts by residents appeared on local online communities and social media platforms on Monday, lamenting the hardships caused by the water shortage. One user wrote, “I’ve been sorting my laundry by color to save water. I thought I could wait a week, but now I’ve got two weeks' worth of dirty clothes.”

Others described using wet wipes to clean their bathrooms or skipping hair washes. “I told my teenage daughter to use less water when she showers, but she snapped back, saying I won’t even let her clean herself properly,” another user wrote.

Tips on conserving water are actively being shared online. These include using waterless shampoo, washing hair with bottled water and reusing rinse water to flush toilets. Some have opted to eat from disposable plates and use wooden chopsticks to avoid washing dishes.

Some residents argued that restrictions should be imposed on the use of water by local hotels, pensions, swimming pools and saunas. “What’s the point of saving water when I see people wasting it at beach resorts?” one user posted.

There was also criticism that the beaches should have closed earlier. “Apparently, 3.06 million people visited Gangneung’s beaches,” a resident wrote. “Delaying the closure must have made the shortage worse. Why are only the residents being forced to suffer?”

The riverbed and Obong Reservoir, a major water source in Gangneung, Gangwon, are exposed due to a drought on Aug. 24. [NEWS1]

With the city now considering suspending water supplies and even closing schools, more concerns were raised. “If schools close, I’ll have to send my kids to my relatives,” one person wrote. “If the taps run dry, I’ll leave for my parents’ home.” Another added, “My in-laws and my parents live in Gangneung. What are we supposed to do?”

Over the past six months, Gangneung received only 51.5 percent of its average precipitation, with water reservoir levels down to 17.7 percent. Last Wednesday, the city began partial water restrictions by limiting the flow of about 50 percent of household water meters. The city warned that if levels drop below 15 percent, it will tighten restrictions to 75 percent and halt all agricultural water supplies.

In response to the crisis, the Ministry of Environment is reviewing plans to release water from Doam Dam in nearby Daegwallyeong-myeon. Environment Minister Kim Sung-whan visited the dam on Friday to consider countermeasures. Doam Dam has stored about 30 million tons of water but has not been used since 2001 due to concerns that releasing the water would pollute Namdaecheon, a stream in Gangneung.

Seeking divine intervention, the Gangneung Dano Festival preservation committee held a ritual on Saturday. “We held the ceremony with heartfelt prayers for rainfall,” said a representative from the committee. “We asked the mountain deity and the state guardian spirit of Daegwallyeong for relief from the drought.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY SHIN HYE-YEON [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]