Damage to water distribution system caused by the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake

Abstract

The Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake on January 17, 1995, inflicted severe damage to the water distribution system, not only disrupting daily life activities and industrial operations but also causing major problems in fighting fires which destroyed 7377 homes. Disruption of water service is largely due to abundant water main breaks rather than failures of treatment plants, pumping stations, or the reservoirs. The total number (3300) of pipe breaks of the seven cities within 40 km east of the epicentre is one of the largest recorded among the strong earthquakes that occurred in the past 20 years. The major damage that led to the lack of water in Kobe City is described, and damage trends of water mains are compared with those found in past earthquakes. Important factors identified from these trends are noted for the study of estimation and mitigation methods of water main damage for the Greater Vancouver area. Key words: earthquake, Hyogo-ken Nanbu, water mains, transmission line, reservoirs, fires, restoration.