Gangneung Lifts Water Rationing for Apartments Thanks to Recent Rain

Rainfall helps restore reservoir levels, allowing Gangneung to end timed water supply restrictions for large apartments Mayor Kim Hong-kyu urges continued water conservation despite rising Obong Reservoir levels

2025-09-19     MHN

The city of Gangneung in Gangwon Province has announced a complete lifting of timed water supply restrictions for apartments, following recent rainfall that helped replenish local reservoir levels.

Starting from 6 p.m. on September 19, the city will end the restrictions that had been imposed on apartments with water tanks exceeding 100 tons in capacity. The decision comes as Gangneung anticipates more rain in the coming week and has seen improvement in the water storage rate of Obong Reservoir.

At the third "Apartment Water Supply Restriction Stakeholders’ Meeting" held on the 19th, city officials and stakeholders agreed to terminate the timed restrictions, which had affected 113 apartment complexes across Gangneung. Since the onset of the drought, water had been supplied only twice a day, from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m., to help conserve resources.

However, the city will continue to encourage water-saving practices by maintaining the policy of voluntary valve closure for 75% of water meters in affected buildings.

Mayor Kim Hong-kyu expressed his gratitude to residents who participated in the water-saving initiative, saying, "We are deeply thankful to apartment residents for their cooperation with the timed supply schedule, and I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused." He added, "While the storage rate of Obong Reservoir has now increased to 28%, it remains lower than the seasonal average. Continued efforts to save water are critical, especially with the risk of drought in the coming autumn and winter."

As of 4:10 p.m. on the 19th, the storage rate at Obong Reservoir stood at 28.5%, up 3.9% from the previous day.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Yonhap News