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| North Korean farmers pour water on a farm hit by drought in Pyongyang in this video clip image released by the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency, Saturday. The Pyongyang-based media said the drought this year is the worst since 2001. / Yonhap |
By Choi Hyun-soo
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other organizations of the United Nations have prepared different types of aid in the event of future flooding in North Korea, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported Tuesday.
The Korea Metrological Administration (KMA) said that the North is currently experiencing abnormally high temperatures, RFA said. The drought in the communist country has caused low crop harvests and damage to forests.
Meanwhile, the KMA has forecast that the rainy season there will start around the fourth week of June, with floods and tornados to follow.
The North's government-run Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that the southern region of the nation has been dry since May. Experts say the drought is the severest since 2001. They believe high precipitation after the drought will leave the nation vulnerable.
In the cases of anticipated natural disasters, UNICEF and other organizations have arranged supplies in advance for the communist country. Among provisions, calcium hypochlorite ― a chemical compound that filters water to drinkable one ― will be provided. Also sanitary items, daily necessaries and first-aids kits that could last for three months for 10,000 North Koreans are ready, according to RFA.
RFA also noted that the North's weather forecasting system is often flawed, which makes it harder for the country to anticipate weather-related disasters.
A North Korean defector, identified as Hwang, told RFA that "There are weather-casting programs, and yet they aren't accurate all the time. Also, citizens don't own televisions to follow updates about the weather," Hwang said.
RFA reported there were injuries and destruction due to floods and landslides in North Korea in July. The International Federation of Red Cross reported in September that the flooding left 33 dead and approximately 50,000 refugees.
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