More than 7 700 households without water supply as record snow hits Hokkaido, Japan
Heavy snow has been falling intermittently in Hokkaido, Japan, since Tuesday, February 23, 2021, with Iwamizawa city recording its second-highest snowfall of 2.05 m (6.7 feet) on Thursday, 25. It resulted in disruptions in the city, particularly in train services and even the water supply in the neighboring Bibai city, where more than 7 700 households have been affected.
Heavy snow has been piling up in Hokkaido, especially in the Sorachi region, since Tuesday.
Iwamizawa city was blanketed by 2.05 m (6.7 feet) of snow as of Friday morning, the second-highest snowfall in the area since the start of statistics. The figures were just 3 cm (1.2 inches) shy of the record 2.08 m (6.8 feet).
The snow led to travel and water supply disruptions in the area. Hundreds of train services were suspended, while the neighboring Bibai city lost access to water.
Officials believe that the accumulated snow broke the aced water pipe that connects the dam to the water purification plant, according to local media.
As of Thursday evening, 7 700 households were affected.
The local meteorological observatory said the winter-like conditions will continue until Saturday, February 27.
Featured image credit: Flickr
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