Water crisis worsens in Hyesan, a city in North Korea’s Ryanggang province bordering China. Tap water now flows roughly once every five days. Even then, the water reaches only some households. A local source told Daily NK on Thursday that people living in the city are actually feeling the water shortage more acutely than those outside it. Life is getting harder because the water situation in Hyesan is so bad right now.
On the rare days that tap water runs, people rush to fill every available container. The source described this frantic routine as nothing short of a water war. When tap water is unavailable, residents turn to rivers and wells for household use. However, that water is not considered safe to drink. For drinking water, Hyesan’s population purchases bottled spring water separately. This adds a financial strain on top of the physical toll of hauling water by hand.
The situation is especially difficult for those living on the upper floors of apartment buildings. Chronic electricity shortages have left water pressure too weak to push water to higher floors at all. In many cases, water only reaches the lower floors of apartment buildings. Upper-floor households get nothing, the source said. Even when water is technically available, power outages mean those on the upper floors simply cannot use it. Most are left hauling water by hand.
Some upper-floor households with the means to do so have resorted to illegally diverting electricity. They run private generators to pump water upward. The source noted that even this workaround comes with significant cost and effort. Others are weighing a move to ground-floor units or single-story houses. Some are paying others to carry water for them.
Well water is hard to drink, so people end up buying spring water, the source said. A product called Kuryongbong spring water, produced in Kanggye in Jagang province, costs 4,000 North Korean won per bottle. That price puts it out of reach for ordinary people to keep buying regularly. The source said people now see it as a matter of survival. Poor infrastructure compounds the crisis daily. The convergence of failing water infrastructure and persistent electricity shortages shows no signs of improvement. Residents continue to struggle as each week brings the same unreliable supply. The water crisis worsens with each passing month as no government action appears forthcoming.
