{"id":4692,"date":"2020-08-21T18:07:18","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T09:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4692"},"modified":"2022-05-16T18:01:09","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T09:01:09","slug":"water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2020\/08\/society-economy\/water\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Truly Powerless: Residential Access to Electricity and Water Restricted...Has Border Blockade Paralyzed Power Plant Repairs?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Photo) Many provincial cities are paralyzed due to deteriorating power conditions. Photographed is a young girl mobilized to draw water. Photograph taken in South Hwanghae Province in October 2008 by SHIM Euicheon (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Machine parts no longer imported from China?<\/h2>\n

From around May, the lives of North Korean urban residents have been disrupted by a deterioration in the power supply and paralyzed water supply. These reports came from two cities in the northern region of the country.<\/p>\n

On August 12, a reporting partner from Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, close to the Chinese border, reported the current situation as follows:<\/p>\n

\"Even in the central area of the city, electricity is only available for about two hours a day. The officials explain that 'we are concentrating electricity in important nearby facilities' but, according to a worker in the distribution department, it is due to trade with China stopping due to coronavirus. The power plant's equipment often breaks down and the parts cannot be replaced, so electricity production has declined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even in Musan County, North Hamkyung Province, the electricity supply to residential districts is worsening. Musan County has the most productive iron mine in North Korea so electricity is usually supplied to the area as a priority. As a result, residential districts around the iron mine also benefited by receiving more electricity than other regional cities.<\/p>\n

On August 11, another reporting partner living in Musan County reported the following:<\/p>\n

\u201cMost iron production has been suspended since exports to China were stopped due to sanctions, but electricity is being supplied for about 18 hours a day with instructions to 'operate through self-reliance.' Residential districts, on the other hand, are receiving only two to five hours of electricity per day. In addition, water pumps are not working, so apartments are only being supplied water for 30 minutes to 2 hours a day.\"
\nNextPage: \u25c6 Water being supplied for only 2 hours a day\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u25c6 Water being supplied for only 2 hours a day<\/h2>\n

North Korea relies on hydroelectricity for about 70% of its power. Every winter, when the rivers freeze, electricity production falls, not recovering until late March.<\/p>\n

The area from where the information was reported is home to many mountains and dams, so the power situation is generally much better than in other provincial cities.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the worsening living conditions, the reporting partner in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, explained, \"The electricity supply deteriorated quite suddenly starting in May. I can't even charge my cell phone. None of the nearby factories are operating properly. Water is only available twice a day. Even that is mixed with dirt because it rained heavily during the rainy season. Many people drink it and get diarrhea because they cannot afford to buy firewood to boil the water beforehand.\" (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS contacts its reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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Map of North Korea (produced by ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

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