“Washing only around my eyes, nose, and mouth has become my daily routine. During these tropical nights, I even avoid washing my hair, and I’m extremely anxious because I never know when the tap water will run out.”

On the afternoon of September 7, Kim Sung-yeon, 32, spoke with a sigh at an apartment parking lot in Hoesan-dong, Gangneung, Gangwon Province. “Yesterday, there was a moment when water didn’t come out in any household, causing quite a commotion,” she said. She added, “When the water in the apartment’s storage tank fell below 40 percent, the management office cut off the supply for about an hour without notice. After residents protested, they restored it. I was washing my one-year-old baby when the water suddenly stopped, and I barely managed to finish with bottled water.”

Gangneung, facing its worst drought in years, began restricting water supply for some apartment complexes and large accommodations on the 6th. As water supply became inconsistent, residents reported numerous inconveniences.

In an apartment in Hongje-dong, repeated water outages since the 6th also caused confusion. A resident in her 60s said, “From last night until this afternoon, water was cut off twice for seven to eight hours each time, making it impossible to prepare lunch properly.” At an apartment in Gyo-dong with a 200-ton water tank, tap water was cut off for about two hours starting at 12:40 p.m. that day.

The Gangneung City Government has shut off water supply valves for 123 multi-unit residences (about 45,000 households) and 124 accommodations that have storage tanks over 100 tons in the service area of Hongje Water Purification Plant, and is providing water via tanker trucks. The Hongje Water Purification Plant supplies 87 percent of Gangneung’s domestic water.

Initially, it was expected that the water stored in apartment tanks would run out in two to three days, and water would be transported using fire trucks and supply vehicles after the 8th. However, some apartments that did not stock enough water experienced outages for two consecutive days, prompting temporary reopening of the supply valves.

Residents expressed particular anxiety over the unpredictability of water cuts. Choi Yoo-yeon, 29, a resident of Naegok-dong, said, “Since we never know when the water will be cut off, we’ve moved all buckets and basins in the house to the bathroom to store water and use it little by little.” She criticized the local government for not providing detailed advance plans, saying, “It seems they’re only applying patchwork solutions.”

On an online community, some posts mentioned considering short-term relocation or school transfers. A mother wrote, “I’m thinking of applying for an exchange program in another region for my children. Children sweat a lot and are very active, so they need to wash more often than adults, but we can’t do that, and they’re getting heat rash. I don’t know what to do.” Other posts noted rising expenses. “Bathing and laundry costs, even fuel expenses, are increasing,” and “How long do we have to travel elsewhere just to do laundry?”

The local economy is also being affected. One shop owner said, “Due to problems using restrooms and other issues, it’s difficult to operate normally, and sales have taken a big hit.”

As of 4 p.m. that day, the water level of Obong Reservoir, a major water source in the area, dropped 0.3 percentage points from the previous day to 12.6 percent. Even military-style support for water supply has proven insufficient. Gangneung deployed 400 military vehicles, two navy and coast guard vessels, five army helicopters, and 45 municipal and private equipment units to supply about 30,000 tons of water to Obong Reservoir and the Hongje Water Purification Plant. The National Fire Agency issued a second national firefighting mobilization order, dispatching 20 additional tank trucks from Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Ulsan, Sejong, and North Jeolla Province, each capable of carrying 10,000 liters of water.

Gangwon Province plans to provide an additional 100 water trucks from 17 cities and counties excluding Gangneung and is discussing the use of water from Pyeongchang’s Doam Dam in coordination with the Ministry of Environment. Other local governments, including Seoul’s Seocho, Seongbuk, Songpa, and Eunpyeong districts, have also sent water trucks. The Gangneung City Government plans to implement time-based and alternate-day restricted water supply if the water level of Obong Reservoir falls below 10 percent.