Okinawa water problems loom on the horizon

[unhappycamper]

The Kurashiki Reservoir, located just north of Kadena Air Base, is at 66.7 percent capacity.


Okinawa water problems loom on the horizon
By David Allen and Chiyomi Sumida, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, February 7, 2009

CHATAN, Okinawa — The water levels at Okinawa’s reservoirs are dropping, forcing island officials to warily eye weather forecasts.

As of Thursday, the water level at the island’s 10 reservoirs averaged 62.4 percent capacity, 19 percent below the 77.4 percent monthly average for the past 10 years. And the situation is already so bad on nearby Zamami Island that the water will be turned off for 12 hours a day starting Tuesday.

But the levels on Okinawa are not that alarming — yet, said Hitoshi Uehara, a spokesman for the Water Supply Management Office, part of the Okinawa Prefectural Enterprise Bureau.

"Okinawa’s water situation remains tight," Uehara said Thursday. "Water levels at reservoirs drop every day. However, it is not in a situation where we need to consider starting rationing at this moment."

On Zamami, about 25 miles west of Okinawa in the Kerama Island group, the water level at the island’s dam was at 41.7 percent capacity Thursday, a Zamami village official said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60525