Japan tries to restore water supply

KURASHIKI, Japan - Municipal workers in Japan struggled on Friday to restore the water supply in the nation's flood-hit western region a week after inundation caused by a record downpour killed more than 200 people in the worst weather disaster in 36 years.

Communities that grappled with rising floodwaters last week now find themselves battling scorching summer temperatures well above 30C, as foul-smelling garbage piles up in mud-splattered streets.

"We need the water supply back," said Hiroshi Oka, 40, a resident helping to clean up the Mabi district in one of the hardest-hit areas, the city of Kurashiki, where more than 200,000 households have gone without water for a week.

"What we are getting is a thin stream of water, and we can't flush toilets or wash our hands," he added, standing over a 20-liter plastic tank that was only partly filled after almost four hours of waiting.

Water supply has been restored to some parts of the district, a city official said, but he did not know when normal operation would resume, as engineers are still trying to locate water pipeline ruptures.

The soaring temperatures have fueled concern that residents, many still in temporary evacuation centers, may suffer heatstroke or illness as hygiene levels deteriorate.

Public broadcaster NHK has spread advice on coping with high temperatures and maintaining hygiene, such as a video tutorial on how to make a diaper from a towel and plastic shopping bag.

About 73,000 military personnel, police officers and firefighters have fanned out to tackle the aftermath of the floods. There have been 204 deaths, the government said, with 28 others still missing.

The worst weather-related disaster in over three decades has prompted questions about whether authorities were properly prepared and acted effectively.

New assistance

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the government spokesman, urged people in flood-hit areas to take precautions against the heat, and guard against thunderstorms.

"People still need to be aware of the possibility of further landslides," he told a regular news conference on Friday.

Severe weather has increasingly battered Japan in recent years, including similar floods last year that killed dozens of people, raising questions about the impact of global warming.

Also on Friday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with survivors of the devastating rains, as his government pledged new assistance.

The government has already said it will tap around $18 million in reserve funds from this year's budget, and Abe said $312 million in tax grants would be disbursed early to local governments in affected areas.

"I want local governments in disaster-hit areas to do all they can for emergency assistance and reconstruction, without hesitating to spend," he said.

Agriculture Minister Ken Saito said the cost of some vegetables had already shot up between 10-30 percent, and that the ministry would be "closely monitoring" price hikes.

Reuters - AFP

(China Daily 07/14/2018 page9)