1.2 million in Japan told to limit bathing & doing laundry after sinkholes merge in Tokyo

1.2 million residents across 12 cities and towns of Saitama Prefecture in Japan were told to use less water following the merging of sinkholes in Japan on Jan. 30.

According to Kyodo News, the prefectural government advised residents to limit showering and washing clothes to ease pressure on the area sewage system.

Some residents within the area were also told to evacuate.

Hole likely due to corrosion of underground sewer pipe

The sinkhole, which initially opened at an intersection in Yashio on Jan. 28, now measures around 20m in width after merging with another sinkhole in the area.

A 74-year-old truck driver became trapped in the sinkhole, with rescue workers working for the third consecutive day to clear rubble and retrieve him.

According to Japan English-language newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, the sinkhole first opened after the driver's two-tonne truck fell into a 10m-deep pit.

The hole was likely due to the corrosion of the sewer pipe below the prefectural road, allowing soil and sand to flow into it and creating the collapsible hole.

Residents to limit bathing and doing laundry

Authorities also found a damaged underground sewer pipe on Jan. 29 and implemented emergency measures to prevent the overflowing of water in the sinkhole, reported Kyodo News.

This includes discharging wastewater into the nearby Niigata River.

The wastewater is also treated with chlorine to prevent potential river contamination.

The measure was implemented during the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

To prevent disruption to the sewage system resulting in overflowing within the sinkhole, residents in the eastern part of the prefecture were told to limit their use in bathing and doing laundry.

Some residents within a 200-metre radius of the sinkhole had also been told to evacuate.

Top photo via Yomiuri Shimbun