Tonegawa water supply looking good

Major reservoirs in the Tonegawa River system have been filled near capacity this summer, Construction Ministry officials said. The reservoirs are the main source of water for 27 million residents in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

The eight reservoirs were filled to 96 percent of capacity as of Thursday, thanks to cool weather and heavy rain in late July, a rare occurrence in a region that has often suffered from water shortages, the officials said.

The Meteorological Agency predicted average rain precipitation in August in the Kanto-Koshinetsu region. If the prediction bears out, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will not restrict water use this summer, metropolitan officials said.