Man stuck in sinkhole for a week; Japan residents asked to avoid using water

• Crews in Japan have not been able to reach a truck driver trapped in a sinkhole for a week. Residents have also been asked not to take showers or do laundry to lower water usage during the incident.
• The sinkhole occurred on Jan. 28.
• One company plans to use artificial intelligence to improve the country’s infrastructure.

Crews in Japan have been trying to reach a truck driver trapped in a massive sinkhole since Jan. 28. As concern grows over the safety of the roads, a plan to use artificial intelligence to help improve the country’s infrastructure is in the works.

Japanese officials asked more than a million people to avoid taking showers or doing laundry while rescuers tried to reach the 74-year-old man.

His condition is unknown at this time.

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How did the sinkhole happen?

Authorities believe a ruptured sewage pipe caused the sinkhole just north of Tokyo on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The estimated 15-meter-deep sinkhole swallowed a large truck. It caused heavy debris to pile up and sewage to spew from the scene.

Rescuers haven’t been able to launch a full-scale search due to safety concerns.

Can residents use water yet?

Residents are still told to avoid using water unless “absolutely necessary” so rescuers can see if the stoppage would change the water level inside the sinkhole.

What’s going on with Japan’s infrastructure?

This latest incident follows a series of road cave-ins across the country, also caused by aged sewage pipes, drawing attention to an aging infrastructure issue.

According to Japan Forward, a Japanese agricultural machinery company is currently focusing on a rehabilitation method that strengthens sewer pipes by inserting a new pipe inside the existing one and securing it with resin.

But, the company is also planning to launch a system that uses artificial intelligence to predict water pipe damage caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes.

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The system combines two AI models to identify high-risk areas for water outages. It allows officials to prioritize earthquake-resistant upgrades in critical locations.

The company is expected to roll out the AI monitoring in April.