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🇸🇬 Singapore /Disasters & Emergencies

Japan quake leaves communities thirsty amid heatwave

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan, causing toppled houses and split streets in Yatsushiro.
  • Two days after the quake, many of Yatsushiro's 58,000 households remained without running water or power amid punishing summer heat and humidity.
  • Relief efforts are underway, but officials have no timetable for repairing damaged water mains, with the death toll rising to at least 28.

YATSUSHIRO, Japan – The summer heat and lack of water pose the most immediate threat to residents of Yatsushiro, a city in southern Japan devastated by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake. Two days after the tremor toppled houses and split streets, approximately 58,000 households were still without running water or electricity.

Town official Akio Matsushita expressed deep concern about the invisible dangers of the prolonged outages. "Because of the summer heat, the lack of water is especially difficult," he said, adding that repairing the badly damaged water mains would require "painstaking work" with no clear timetable.

Because of the summer heat, the lack of water is especially difficult.

— Akio MatsushitaA town official in Yatsushiro, highlighting the immediate challenges faced by residents after the earthquake.

The earthquake, which struck Kumamoto prefecture, has claimed at least 28 lives. Major structural damage at Nippon Paper Industries' paper mill and a possible gas explosion at Aeon's shopping mall contributed to the fatalities. Six people are in cardiopulmonary arrest, and officials warned of heatstroke risk as temperatures were forecast to reach nearly 40 degrees Celsius.

It will require painstaking work, and there is currently no timetable.

— Akio MatsushitaDescribing the effort needed to repair damaged water mains.

The Self-Defence Force is providing some relief by installing air-conditioning units in evacuation centers and distributing water. However, residents like Masahiro Miyamoto, who found his house still standing but without running water, are relying on limited rations from military water bowsers. "It would be better if disasters did not happen. But this is Japan, so perhaps it is something we simply have to live with," Miyamoto remarked.

Japan's location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" makes it prone to earthquakes. While strict building standards and drills mitigate casualties, powerful tremors can still cripple regions. Kumamoto and other parts of Kyushu are vital production hubs for the automotive and semiconductor industries, and the quake has already forced manufacturers like Toyota and Sony to halt some production.

It would be better if disasters did not happen. But this is Japan, so perhaps it is something we simply have to live with.

— Masahiro MiyamotoA resident of Yatsushiro, reflecting on the recurring nature of disasters in Japan.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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