As sweltering heat blankets Japan, parts of Hyogo Prefecture are struggling with water shortages after a city there logged the third highest recorded temperature in the country in late July.
In Tamba in west Japan's Hyogo Prefecture, authorities are dealing with a lack of water in addition to the extreme heat. The prefectural city of Toyooka has also called for saving tap water in some areas, and in Kakogawa, another local city, water for agricultural and other uses is now restricted.
In Tamba, the water in the lazy river pool at the municipal Kasuga Sogo Undo Koen athletic park had turned light green in early August. Some 10,000 people visited the pool in 2024, but it closed on July 25 this year after just three days due to falling water levels at Mitakara Dam, where the pool gets its water.
In the city's Kaibaracho district, the mercury climbed to 41.2 degrees Celsius on July 30. The water level at Mitakara Dam continued to decline, dropping to 34.5% as of 8 a.m. on Aug. 5. The dam supplies agricultural water to the Oji district and its 800 households, and the municipal government has set up a task force to address the situation, eyeing a planned water supply suspension if the water level dips below 20% of the dam's capacity.
A 67-year-old farmer who was pouring water into his rice paddies in the Oji district said with a sigh, "The water levels in local reservoirs have dropped, and I can only give my rice plants enough to prevent them from withering. I wish it would rain."
Serious effects on farm water
In Toyooka, the city government on Aug. 4 called for a total of some 4,100 households in the Kinosaki and Tanto areas and parts of the Minato district near the mouth of the Maruyama River to cooperate in water saving efforts. According to the city, they made the move because the intake rate from rivers -- both surface and groundwater -- tapped for the water system has fallen below normal, and because water use volumes tend to increase by around 30% during the August Bon holiday season, when many people return to their hometowns.
The city also faces a serious shortage of agricultural water. It has started renting out power generator and pump sets after learning that shops selling small pumps for drawing water from rivers have run out of stock. It has secured around 20 sets with the cooperation of construction companies, and is lending them to rice farmers and others who sought help.
In the Tanto region, 80% of green pepper farmers use sprinklers, but some have voiced concern to officials that spring and other mountain water could be depleted. Due to water shortages, some green peppers have already turned brown from sunburn damage.
Rainfall declines to 10% of normal
This year, the end of the rainy season was declared for west Japan's Kinki region where Hyogo Prefecture is located on June 27, the earliest on record. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency website, the prefecture's northern and western parts had low rainfall in July, dropping to 50% of normal in the city of Himeji, a little under 30% in Tamba's Kaibaracho district, and 10% in Toyooka.
The water levels at dam lakes along the Kakogawa River system sourced in the northern part of the prefecture have also decreased. As of Aug. 4, the water level at Dondo Dam in the city of Miki, which serves as a water source for Kobe and Akashi, dropped to 34.6%, and that at Okawase Dam in the city of Sanda to 58.4%, far below the approximately 80% in an average year. Both dams raised their restrictions on water draws from 10% to 20% from July 11.
Furthermore, the water level at Kakogawa Weir in the city of Kakogawa has also sunk to 65.1%. It was decided that 15% industrial water intake restrictions would be in place in the cities of Kakogawa and Takasago south of the weir from Aug. 4, and 25% for agricultural water from Aug. 7. It is said to be the first measure of its kind since 2009.
According to the Kobe Local Meteorological Office, a low-pressure system accompanying a weather front is expected to move southward from the Sea of Japan on Aug. 7, bringing cloudy weather with occasional rain. The weather on Aug. 10 and 11, when the front is expected to be pushed back northward, is also projected to be cloudy with some rain. A representative of the office commented, "How far the front will move southward will affect the amount of precipitation. We'll see whether we will be blessed with rain."
(Japanese original by Yoshiko Yukinaga, Tamba Local Bureau; Toshihiro Hamamoto, Toyooka Local Bureau; Toru Kurita, Kobe Bureau; and Kayo Inada, Hanshin Bureau)