Society

Water Supply Disruptions Continue in Hakone

KANAGAWA, Feb 12 (News On Japan) - A renewed water outage struck Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture after supplies briefly resumed on February 11th morning, with authorities reinstating water restrictions from 9 p.m. as frozen pipes and low reservoir levels linked to an intense cold wave continued to disrupt supply across the region.

Water service was restored earlier in the day, but officials were forced to halt supply again overnight in the Yumoto district from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., leaving restaurants and residents scrambling to prepare. At one local eatery, staff rushed to finish washing dishes ahead of the cutoff, ultimately closing two hours early because they could not operate without running water. Employees said water pressure had already dropped significantly during the day, with only a trickle coming from taps.

The outages, which affected about 1,300 households between February 10th and the morning of February 11th, were caused by frozen and damaged pipes following what authorities described as the strongest cold wave of the season, compounded by low rainfall that reduced water levels in supply reservoirs. Although reservoir levels temporarily recovered and service resumed on February 11th morning, water levels fell again, prompting the renewed nighttime shutdown.

Visitors have also been caught off guard. A high school student visiting Hakone on a graduation trip said there had been relief when service resumed, but the renewed outage left them worried. Residents and business owners expressed frustration but said they were preparing by storing water for toilets and other essential uses while hoping for a swift restoration.

Similar disruptions have occurred elsewhere. In Sagamihara, also in Kanagawa Prefecture, around 50 households experienced a water outage lasting until 1 p.m. on February 12th. One resident said he collected water in bottles and kettles but was most concerned about bathing and toilet use. In Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, officials warned that up to 1,890 households could face water cuts, though they expect conditions to improve by Saturday.

Source: TBS

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