Efforts are made across the DPRK to minimize the damage from possible flood.

In the previous years the weather in the country was usually dry in spring and rainy in summer, showing a climatic distinction to a certain degree, experts say, but this year the weather has been so far volatile and unexpected, which requires all regions and units to pay attention to minimizing the damage from possible flood.

This year efforts have been made on a nationwide scale to investigate the safety of reservoirs, drainage facilities, rivers and streams and dykes and remove dangerous spots.

In the agricultural sector projects go ahead to minimize possible flood damage in a planned way.

South Hwanghae and all other provinces are waging a vigorous drive to grasp the conditions of reservoirs, irrigation waterways, breakwaters, rivers and streams in relevant regions and dredge riverbeds and repair embankments, with focus on highly dangerous streams.

In parallel, they repair drainage channels and maintain pumps. They make efforts in a three-dimensional way to improve the nutrition of crops including securing growth promoters and nutritional enhancers and applying additional fertilizers to crop leaves.

In addition, thoroughgoing preventive measures are being taken to counter possible challenges. To this end they clear out ditches and set up safety protection and retaining walls in dangerous places lest crops fall prey to landslide.

In the meantime, every region pushes ahead with river improvement and afforestation projects in various ways to meet their natural and geographical features.

They estimate the water passing capacity of rivers and streams and improve the conditions of corresponding waterways while setting up a real-time information system to provide data on rivers and streams and reservoirs for power generation and irrigation.

This year Pyongyang Municipality has completed large-scale improvement and afforestation projects for major rivers and streams including the Sujong Stream in Kangdong County in the short period of a little over 70 days. Unchon County of South Hwanghae Province is promoting river improvement projects in a big way, thus transforming the surrounding environment.

All sectors and units including electric power, coal and ore mining industries, construction, metallurgical, rail transport, land administration and urban management take measures to protect equipment, raw materials, buildings and structures and find out and properly manage the objects and factors prone to damage, and the State Hydro-meteorological Administration releases timely and accurate information on weather forecast.

Jong Hwa Sun