City of Osaka struggled to fix the old water pipe system — until an anonymous donor left $3.6 million in gold bars
With the highest pipe aging rate among all other Japanese cities, this donation will hopefully boost the morale of the people and the government
There is a saying that if you step up to do something good, help will follow. The city of Osaka, in Japan, witnessed this saying transpire in reality, according to AP News. The people who had been worrying over the aged water systems and had safety concerns were relieved when an anonymous donation of gold bars worth 560 million yen (about $3.6 million) was sent to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau in November, specifically to fix the issue. In a clip from DW News, Osaka’s mayor, Hideyuki Yokoyama, expressed his gratitude and promised to use the gift for the purpose it was given, sharing the news at a press conference on February 19.
For a long time, the people were concerned about their safety and the water system that needed timely repairs. As the clock was ticking, problems were getting significantly worse. The city has reported around 92 cases of waterpipe leaks under city roads in the last year, according to CBS News. A concerning case was that of a sinkhole swallowing an entire truck. The 74-year-old driver was killed in that accident, reported PEOPLE. It was clear that repairs had to be made, but funds were a challenge. Osaka has a population of 2.8 million and is the third-largest city in the country, but the system and its mechanisms date back to around World War II.
The estimates were around 259 kilometers (160 miles) of water pipes to be fixed. It cost around 500 million yen ($3.2 million) to fix just 1.2 miles of water pipes. That’s when the anonymous donor came in. With around 46 pounds of weight, the gold bars were sent with the special request to be used to fix up the system. “It’s a staggering amount, and I was speechless,” the mayor said. The donation will help with around 2 km (1.2 miles) of new pipes. The same mystery donor had offered around 500,000 yen in cash for prior municipal works, reported BBC News.
A 2018 study published in the ASCE library revealed that due to an earthquake, major damage was done to the large iron pipes used to supply water to residents. The study revealed that the pipes showed brittle properties and did not meet the quality standards of current pipes and water systems. According to Nippon, the average per capita water usage has been steadily decreasing over the decades. People are using less water and conserving the same to a point where the average use fell as low as 284 liters by 2015.
Out of all cities, Osaka has the worst or the highest water pipe aging rate of nearly 28.3%. And this was a few years ago. The pipes have long exceeded their 40-year service time, but there are not enough funds to initiate repairs. The systems are aging day after day, but the repair progress is so low that it is estimated to take 130 years to complete repairs at the current rate. Though it’s not the complete amount, it's a start and an encouragement. “Tackling aging water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank them enough for the donation,” Yokoyama exclaimed.
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