In Photos: Over 200 Dead in Japan’s Worst Floods in 36 Years

“We’ll cut through the bureaucracy to secure the goods people need for their lives,” Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said.

Flooded residential areas in Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture, western Japan. 

(Photo: AP)

Municipal workers in Japan struggled on Friday, 13 July, to restore water supply in the flood-hit western region as inundation caused by a record downpour last week has killed more than 200 people in the worst weather disaster in 36 years.

Communities that grappled with rising floodwaters last week now find themselves battling scorching summer temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius, as foul-smelling garbage piles up in mud-splattered streets.

Rescuers conduct a search operation for missing persons in Kumano town, Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan, on Monday, 9 July.

"We need the water supply back," said Hiroshi Oka, 40, a resident helping to clean up the Mabi district in one of the hardest-hit areas, the city of Kurashiki, where more than 200,000 households have gone without water for a week.

Mud waters cover the streets after the Enoki River running through the town overflowed, in Fuchu, Hiroshima prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Tuesday, 10 July. 

"What we are getting is a thin stream of water, and we can't flush toilets or wash our hands," he added, standing over a 20-litre plastic tank that was only partly filled after almost four hours of waiting.

Water supply has been restored to some parts of the district, a city official told Reuters, but he did not know when normal operation would resume, as engineers are still trying to locate water pipeline ruptures.

A submerged housing area in Kurashiki, Okayama prefecture, western Japan, on Monday, 9 July. 

The soaring temperatures have fuelled concern that residents, many still in temporary evacuation centres, may suffer heat strokes or illness as hygiene levels deteriorate.

Public broadcaster NHK has spread advice on coping with high temperatures and maintaining hygiene.

More than 70,000 military and police personnel, as well as firefighters, have fanned out to tackle the aftermath of the floods. There have been 204 deaths, the government said, with dozens still missing.

Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga, the government spokesperson, urged people in flood-hit areas to take precautions against the heat, and guard against thunderstorms.

"People still need to be aware of the possibility of further landslides," he told a regular news conference on Friday.

An evacuee lies on a bed while watching his pet dog at an evacuation center in Soja, Okayama prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Tuesday, 10 July.

Cars are trapped in mud as residents clean up after days of heavy rain in Hiroshima city, southwestern Japan, on Tuesday, 10 July.

Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force members use a boat to evacuate residents from a flooded area in Kurashiki.

Severe weather has increasingly battered Japan in recent years, including similar floods last year that killed dozens of people, raising questions about the impact of global warming.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who cancelled a scheduled overseas trip to deal with the rescue effort, visited Kurashiki on Thursday, and said he aimed to visit other flood-damaged areas over the weekend.

A police officer looks into a car buried in mud during a search operation in the aftermath of heavy rains in Kure, Hiroshima prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Wednesday, 11 July.