While Japan continues to rack up gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the city of Osaka arguably just brought in the most impressive haul of gold yet.
The Associated Press reported on an anonymous donor's significant gift of 21 kilograms (46 pounds) of gold bars to aid with essential repairs to the city's aging water infrastructure. The donation, valued at 560 million yen ($3.6 million), was designated specifically for the city's deteriorating water pipes.
"It's a staggering amount, and I was speechless," Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said.
Yokoyama said the city will respect the donor's wishes to improve its water infrastructure. Given the city's recent struggles, the donation is timely. In the fiscal year ending last March, Osaka reported 92 incidents of water pipe leaks, waterworks official Eiji Kotani told the AP.
The most disturbing incident in Japan involved the death of a truck driver whose body was discovered three months after his vehicle fell into a sinkhole. While that incident occurred closer to Tokyo, it set off alarm bells around the country.
Kotani noted that Osaka, a major commercial hub with 2.8 million residents, faces challenges with water pipes and infrastructure that predate those in many other areas of Japan. The city's rapid development began earlier in the postwar boom, and it's consequently facing challenges sooner.
While some of the city's infrastructure is top-of-the-line, like its high-speed bullet trains, aging waterworks are a mounting concern.
Burst water pipes can endanger drivers, damage buildings and property, and cause flooding that damages crops and local nature. While cold weather is often a culprit, antiquated equipment can also cause dangerous situations.
In Osaka, renewing 160 miles of water pipes is necessary, and that work will be very expensive. Costs to replace even a 1.2-mile segment are about 500 million yen ($3.2 million).
While this generous donation doesn't fully address that, it allows Osaka to proceed with much-needed repairs without burdening residents with higher water rates.
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"Tackling aging water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank enough for the donation," Yokoyama said to the anonymous donor, per AP.
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