"Osaka has received a hefty gift of gold bars worth 560m yen (2.7m) from an anonymous donor and a request for its specific use: to fix the Japanese city's dilapidated water pipes. The gold bars, weighing a total of 21kg (46lb), were given to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau in November by the donor who wants to help improve ageing water pipes, the mayor, Hideyuki Yokoyama, told reporters on Thursday."
"It's a staggering amount and I was speechless, Yokoyama said. Tackling ageing water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank enough for the donation."
"Most of Japan's main public infrastructure was built during the rapid postwar economic growth, but urban development in Osaka, a regional commercial hub, started earlier than many and its water pipes and other infrastructure are ageing earlier, the city's waterworks official, Eiji Kotani, said. Osaka needed to renew 160 miles (260km) of water pipes, he said. Renewing a 1.2 mile segment would cost about 500m yen, Kotani said."
An anonymous donor gave 21 kg of gold bars worth 560 million yen to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau in November, specifying the funds be used to repair dilapidated water pipes. The gift will support waterworks projects aimed at addressing aging infrastructure across Osaka, which has about 2.8 million residents. The city needs to renew roughly 160 miles (260 km) of water pipes, with replacement of a 1.2-mile segment costing about 500 million yen. Safety concerns rose after a sinkhole linked to a damaged sewer killed a driver, and the city recorded 92 pipe leaks in the fiscal year ending March 2025.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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