Sewage Pipe Abnormalities Found at 3 Locations in Saitama Pref.

   Tokyo, Feb. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan's infrastructure ministry said Friday that its emergency inspections on sewage pipes, which were conducted in the wake of last month's road cave-in in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, have found abnormalities such as corrosion at three locations in the same prefecture, separate from the accident site.
   The prefecture, located north of Tokyo, has begun taking countermeasures.
   The sewage inspections were carried out as a deteriorated sewage pipe is believed to have caused the road cave-in in Yashio.
   The three locations where abnormalities were found were pipes leading to a sewage treatment plant in Wako, Saitama. There was corrosion at two locations inside manholes in Kawagoe and a misaligned pipe joint in a manhole in Fujimi. No cavities under roads caused by sewage pipe problems were confirmed.
   On Feb. 21, the ministry will hold the first meeting of an expert panel on measures to prevent the recurrence of the cave-in accident. The panel is expected to discuss which pipe lines should be subject to regular inspections and how often they should be inspected.

(2025/02/14-13:04)