Urgent repairs planned for 72km of Japan’s corroded sewage pipes
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
After a fatal sinkhole accident in January, Japan’s central government asked municipalities to inspect 5,000km of sewer pipes installed 30 years ago or earlier.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Follow topic:
TOKYO – Japan must urgently repair 72km of corroded and cracked sewage pipes within a year, the Land Ministry said on Sept 17, after emergency checks launched in the wake of a deadly sinkhole accident in January.
Another 225km of the sewage system requires repairs within five years following the implementation of stopgap measures. The ministry added that underground cavities had been found near pipes in Hokkaido, Niigata and Kumamoto prefectures.
The central government has asked municipalities to inspect a total of 5,000km of sewer pipes installed 30 years ago or earlier.
As at Aug 8, the ministry had inspected 621km of the 813km of pipes listed for prioritised checks, conducted in person or with remote cameras.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will request that local governments proceed with the repair or replacement of damaged sections of sewage pipes, as corrosion and cracks could trigger sinkholes or other road damage.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference that the government will support municipalities “technically and financially” to help build “a resilient and sustainable sewage system”.
A fatal sinkhole accident occurred in Yashio, Saitama prefecture, near Tokyo, on Jan 28, when a 74-year-old truck driver was swallowed by a large, expanding sinkhole at an intersection.
The driver’s body was recovered from the underground sewer pipe on May 2, after a three-month search hampered by ongoing collapses and underground water. KYODO NEWS
