Photo/Illutration Work continues at the site of the sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Feb. 10. (Tatsuya Shimada)

Repair work for all damage caused by a sinkhole in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, where a trucker remains trapped underground, could take until the end of the year to complete, local officials said.

The Saitama prefectural government has allocated 4 billion yen ($26 million) in the fiscal 2024 supplementary budget to repair the ruptured sewage pipe that caused the sinkhole, rebuild collapsed parts of the intersection, and restore other infrastructure.

Officials plan to accelerate restoration efforts once the missing truck driver is rescued.

The driver is believed to be trapped in the cabin of his truck that is stuck inside the 4.75-meter-wide broken sewage pipe. Prefectural officials said it could take up to three months to rescue him.

Officials announced plans to install a large bypass to divert wastewater away from the sinkhole site. Workers will use heavy machinery to dig a 10-meter-deep hole to reach the pipe, and then lift the truck cabin and the driver to the surface.

After the rescue, emergency repairs will begin on the damaged sewage pipe, according to the prefectural government.

Workers will backfill the collapsed road and repave it.

Depending on the extent of damage to the sewage pipe, a temporary drainage pipe built to divert water away from the accident site may remain in use, officials said.

Although it will take some time to finish the rescue and repair work, 1.2 million residents in the eastern part of the prefecture received some relief on Feb. 12.

The prefectural government lifted its request for residents in 12 municipalities to voluntarily reduce wastewater flowing into the broken sewage pipe.

Officials said the temporary drainage pipe and other measures are now as effective as the wastewater reduction efforts.

“I appreciate everyone’s cooperation,” Saitama Governor Motohiro Ono said on the afternoon of Feb. 12. “We will show our gratitude by doing everything possible to ensure a swift rescue and restoration.”

The request to reduce wastewater discharge lasted two weeks.

“I had never really thought about the sewage system before,” said a 78-year-old woman living near the Yashio city government office. “These two weeks were tough, but they made me realize how essential it is.”

Saitama Prefecture also lifted its request for 66 companies that receive industrial water from surrounding basins to voluntarily limit their usage.

The request was made because many of these companies discharge wastewater into sewage pipes near the sinkhole.

The voluntary restrictions significantly impacted businesses.

The Higashi-Kanto Namakon cooperative association, which consists of ready-mixed concrete manufacturers in Yashio and Soka cities in Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo’s Adachi Ward, said a shortage of essential water for production prevented them from fulfilling orders.

The cooperative association worked with other manufacturers to outsource production, but a representative said, “It was challenging since each company had its own production schedule.”

Water supply remains suspended for companies near the sinkhole.

Disruptions are expected to continue, and one company said it has been using a tank car to collect water from a purification plant.

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