Water Outages To Last 2 Months In Quake-Hit Central Japan

Water outages in parts of central Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture hit by the magnitude-7.6 Noto Peninsula earthquake on January 1 could last more than two months in some locations, as estimated by the prefectural government, Akihiro Fukao and Kenichi Kayahara reported for Mainichi Japan.

The city of Nanao, in the central part of the peninsula, currently has a water outage affecting about 18,700 homes. I Photo: Daderot Wikimedia Commons 

The city of Nanao, in the central part of the peninsula, currently has an outage affecting about 18,700 homes. The prefecture believes it will take at least two months before services there are restored.

No estimates were given for places including the cities of Wajima and Suzu near the tip of the peninsula.

Nearly all of Nanao is without running water. Repairs to water pipes have been difficult due to factors such as leaks occurring along approximately 8 kilometers of the city's periphery.

Across the prefecture, about 52,210 households in total remain without a supply of water, including almost all areas in five municipalities around the tip of the peninsula.

The pipes in these municipalities are locally managed, and Ishikawa Gov. Hiroshi Hase has asked for preliminary timelines for their restoration.

At a prefectural disaster response meeting the same day, estimates were given for resolving isolated communities. At one point, at least 3,000 people had been stranded, but as of January 16, that number stood at 143 in eight districts of three towns and cities.

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