Water storage rate at drought-hit Gangneung's reservoir rises for 1st time in 52 days

The water storage rate at drought-stricken Gangneung's main water supply reservoir rose Saturday for the first time in 52 days following heavy rain overnight, weather officials said. The storage rate at the Obong Reservoir, which supplies 87 percent of residential water to Gangneung, about 210 kilometers east of Seoul, stood at 12.1 percent at 10 a.m., up 0.6 percentage point from the previous day, according to the regional weather agency. It marks the first increase since July 23, though the drought remains far from over, officials said. A state of national disaster was declared for the east coast city on Aug. 30. The water increase followed heavy overnight rain in Gangwon Province's coastal and mountainous regions, including 140 millimeters in Sokcho, 100 mm in Yangyang and 91.5 mm in Gangneung, as of 10 a.m. The last time daily rainfall in Gangneung exceeded 30 mm was two months ago on July 15, when it reached 39.7 mm. President Lee Jae Myung welcomed the rain in a Facebook post. "Though the aftermath of the drought that began July 6 cannot be resolved by this rain, I hope it will bringWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times