SUZU: The water outage caused by the Jan. 1 major earthquake in central Japan was resolved at some facilities in the city of Suzu in Ishikawa Prefecture on Sunday.

Running water was restored at some evacuation shelters, the city government building, a general hospital and other facilities, making locals happy.

The 7.6-magnitude New Year’s Day earthquake, which measured up to the maximum level of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, cut off water supplies almost across the city.

“I’m moved,” Tomiko Tobe, a 71-year-old former Suzu municipal government employee, who is now staying at a local elementary school used as a shelter, said, rejoicing over the resumed water service.

“I didn’t think that the water outage would last for such a long time,” she said. Tobe’s house was heavily damaged by the earthquake.

On Sunday, water supplies were restored also at some 110 households in central Suzu. Meanwhile, more than 4,500 households still remain without running water.

The city government aims to fully resolve the problem by around May. The water outage has prevented evacuees from returning to their homes and stores from resuming operations.

JIJI Press