The autumn drought is becoming serious. It has been two months now since the drought began at the end of August. In the Busan region, it has been dry for a month since it rained about 8.5mm on the 18th of last month. Precipitation has only been 30% of the annual average on a national basis. The country is suffering from first major autumn drought in nine years, since 1997. Farmers are seriously concerned as the crops are dried up and the underground water is also running dry.

To make matters worse, the abnormally warm weather is continuing. Moisture is rapidly evaporating from the soil and harmful insects are all over the place, resulting in more damage. It is a pity that greenhouse vegetables that are to be pickled, including radish, cabbage and leek, are directly damaged, which should be at the peak of growth. Thorough preventive measures are needed as the abnormally warm weather is predicted to continue until the middle of November.

The Gang-seo area of Busan, where farm products are cultivated on a large scale is put on emergency alert to prepare a solution. Great damage was given to the crops near the Hae Chuk field, which is over 100,000 hectares, at the vicinity of the No.2 national highway. Farm households have visited the office of the Gimhae Yangsan, Korean Agriculture & Rural Infrastructure Corporation making pressing demands for the operation of a pumping station. It indicates the reality that sprinklers and small water pumps owned by the farmers are beyond their capacities.

It is time to overcome the drought with all effort. The Korean Agriculture & Rural Infrastructure Corporation should seek a plan to respond to the request of the farmers. It is hardly convincing that a pumping station to provide a massive amount of agricultural water cannot be operated after the conclusion of its contract for electric power supply with the Korean Electric Power Corporation at the end of September. It is an emergency situation with a severe autumn drought at the moment. Moreover, the reason for establishing the pumping station is vague as it is used only for rice farming and the labor force is withdrawn after the harvest. The farmers have established two pumps for drainage near the Sang Gok pumping station and the Pyung Kang stream, although it is only a temporary countermeasure. Considering the autumn drought is a nationwide disaster, flexibility for operating pumping stations will be necessary.

입력시간: 2006. 10.20. 08:38