Chiba Prefecture has announced a plan to raise the price of prefectural water supply by 20%. Similar water rate hikes are occurring all over the country. ■Water pipe bursts occurring one after another across the country A large amount of water suddenly spurted out from the ground. In Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture, a column of water reaching a height of more than 10 meters rose. Across the country, aging water pipes are bursting one after another. Water rates are being raised one after another across the country to cover the costs of repairing water pipes. One udon restaurant has seen its rates rise twice in two years... Kato Mitsuo, owner of Chosei Udon: "The time when a bowl of Kake Udon will cost over 1,000 yen is fast approaching" - 20% price increase "Save on baths and washing dishes too" Chiba Governor Kumagai Toshihito: "Regarding your question about the water rate hike, we would like to keep the increase to around 20%" Last week, Chiba prefecture announced its intention to raise water rates by around 20%, with fiscal 2026 in mind. Local resident: "I didn't know about the price hike. Everything is so expensive now, so when it comes to water, it's tough, so I wish they'd stop." "It's a problem. Everyone is so expensive (utilities, etc.). When I fill the bathtub (to save water), I use less water so I can't soak my shoulders, but I have to lean back because it's a long bath. It's so hard." "I can't survive if I keep doing things the same way I've been doing, like using less water to wash dishes (to save money). It would be good if pensions went up a lot." The average household water bill in Chiba Prefecture is currently about 2,450 yen per month. If the price goes up by 20%, it will be about 500 yen per month, and about 6,000 yen per year. The target areas include some areas of Chiba City, Ichikawa City, Urayasu City, and other areas, and 3.08 million people will be affected. ■Ramen shops will be burdened with about 330,000 yen Water bills will be increased for the first time in about 30 years. Ramen shops that use a lot of water for preparation and other things have been making heartbreaking noises. Nikyuhachiya Iwase Manager Ryo Iwase: "Here's the latest bill." "(Q: Does it cost 210,000 yen?) That's for two months, but I think it's about 105,000 yen a month. In the summer, it can get as high as 140,000 yen." Monthly water bills are between 100,000 and 140,000 yen. If the price goes up by 20% in the future, it will increase the burden by about 330,000 yen a year. This is said to be the equivalent of about 360 bowls of ramen. Although they have taken measures to conserve water, such as changing the faucet in the washing area to one with a water-saving function and using a dishwasher... Manager Iwase: "(A 20% price increase) will hurt a lot. We raised prices once in July due to rising food costs. We will make an effort to conserve water and try not to raise prices as much as possible." ■High water bills... "Going to hot springs every night" Meanwhile, at a dry cleaning shop in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture... "We have no choice but to raise prices to maintain quality," says Tetsuo Mitani, factory manager of Posh Cleaning. "If water rates go up, we'll have no choice but to raise prices in the future." Currently, the cleaning fee for one shirt is about 200 yen. He says that they are in a situation where they have to consider raising prices by about 20% to cover the increase in water rates. "Gas and electricity rates, as well as labor costs, went up in October. It's going to be very difficult to have water rates go up another 20%." Chiba is not the only place where water rates are increasing. Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture, has seen its water rates increase twice, last year and this year. The monthly water rate for an average household (living with three people) in Shinshiro City was 2,959 yen before the increase, but the first increase in August last year raised it to 3,289 yen, and the second increase in August this year raised it to 3,619 yen. In just two years, the increase has been about 700 yen per month. Water bill: 10,000 yen per month for a family of three "It was so high I wondered if there was a leak somewhere. The bill was so high that we started going to a hot spring nearby every night." Water bill: 6,000 yen per month for a family of three "I don't feel like the amount we're using has increased that much, but it sometimes exceeds 10,000 yen (in two months)." ■Is it possible to charge 1,000 yen for a bowl of udon noodles? When I visited a local udon restaurant, I heard the following comments. Mitsuo Kato, owner of Chosei Udon: "It's the most necessary thing. You can't do anything without water." This udon restaurant requires a large amount of water to boil and tighten the noodles. When I asked to see the water bill... Owner: Kato: "This is the most recent bill, and it was about 60,000 yen (for two months). It's gone up by about 1.5 times compared to two or three years ago." Following the first water rate hike last year, the price of udon noodles was increased by about 50 yen. Kato, the store owner, said, "In reality, we really need to raise the price by more than 100 yen to break even. I think we're just around the corner when a bowl of udon noodles will cost more than 1,000 yen." Shinshiro City has raised its water rates twice in two years, but even if it does, it says it will be difficult to cover the costs of replacing and reinforcing aging water pipes. Shinshiro City Hall Koyanagi Noriyuki: "There are about 660 kilometers of water pipes in Shinshiro City, but (new replacement work) is about 3 kilometers per year. In terms of money, we spend about 200 million to 250 million yen on water pipe construction." (From "Hatori Shinichi Morning Show" broadcast on November 27, 2024) [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp