Water overflows from a broken underground pipe near an intersection on Route 1 in Kyoto’s Shimogyo Ward on April 30. (Video taken by Yoshiaki Arai, Shintaro Kiko and Asahi Television Broadcasting Corp.)

Photo/Illutration A national road is flooded with water from a broken pipe in Kyoto’s Shimogyo Ward on April 30. (Yoshiaki Arai)

KYOTO—A decades-old underground water pipe ruptured in a central part of Kyoto, causing flooding and traffic congestion in the middle of the Golden Week holiday season.

Traffic controls enforced on a national road about 1 kilometer north of JR Kyoto Station were lifted at 11:50 p.m. on April 30 after about 19 hours.

The water supply was not disrupted, but city authorities dispatched six water trucks because water to about 6,500 households might become muddied.

A pedestrian reported that water was flowing out from Route 1 in the city’s Shimogyo Ward around 3:30 a.m. on April 30.

The city checked a cast-iron water pipe about 1.5 meters below ground and found a hole around 900 square centimeters on the upper part.

Officials believe water pressure applied to rusted and corroded parts caused the pipe, which was installed around 1959, to break.

No problems were found during a regular inspection in January. The pipe was scheduled to be replaced by November.

Traffic restrictions were imposed between two intersections around 4:30 a.m.

Around 8:40 a.m., a 1.4-km backup of vehicles extended eastward on the national road, which has four lanes each way, while an 800-meter traffic jam had formed westward, according to police.

Keihan Bus Co. said buses were delayed for up to about 30 minutes on several routes.

Taxi operator MK Co. said it instructed all drivers to avoid the accident site.

Water flowed into nearby residential areas.

A woman in her 50s said the water was running “fast and furious like a river” and reached the entrance of her home.

The city repaired the broken part around 3:30 p.m. before backfilling and repaving the road.

Officials lifted traffic controls after finding no underground cavities below the road.

Aging water pipes have caused problems around the country.

Of about 740,000 km of water pipes managed by local governments and other suppliers nationwide, 176,000 km, or 23.6 percent, were past the statutory service life of 40 years as of fiscal 2022, according to the land ministry.

However, renewal has been slow because many local governments have limited resources.

In fiscal 2022, only 4,800 km of water pipes, or about 0.64 percent of the total length, were replaced.

One estimate shows that about 8,800 km must be replaced every year if all water pipes that have been in use for more than 40 years are to be renewed over the coming 20 years.

INSPECTION BELOW SAITAMA SINKHOLE

In January, a truck driver was trapped in an underground sewage pipe in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, when a road caved in and a sinkhole developed.

About 20 firefighters and police officers entered the pipe on May 1 for the first time since the accident and conducted a visual inspection for about two hours in the early morning.

The prefectural government plans to soon start work to find the missing driver based on the results of the investigation.

The accident occurred at a prefectural road intersection on Jan. 28, after the sewage pipe ruptured.

Rescue activities stalled as more underground earth collapsed in surrounding areas and water accumulated in and around the sinkhole.

In February, a drone survey found the truck cabin within the pipe, and experts confirmed an object inside the cabin that appeared to be the driver.

The prefectural government completed construction work in April to prepare for a resumption of operations to reach the trucker.

A bypass was installed to divert sewage water away from the truck cabin, and holes were created from the ground level to the pipe, about 10 meters below.

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