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0 pointsjonknee8y ago0 comments

> The counter-argument is that anything underground in Japan will suffer from continuous earthquake activity;

Water and sewage is underground right? If they can figure out pipes underground they can figure out power lines underground.

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4 comments · 3 top-level

toyg8y ago· 1 in thread

It's kinda different though. Worst that can happen if a pipe bursts is a lot of water here and there, maybe some subsuming after a long time. Power lines could start fires, or create electrical hazards.

lostlogin8y ago

Sewer lines underground can be a complete nightmare and post earthquake Christchurch had an hell of a time with liquefaction. Having sewage come out the ground with every aftershock is nasty, and the aftershocks lasted well over a year with 10,000+ and hundreds of thousands of tons of silt produced.

Japan has a lot of reclaimed land too and this ground is vastly more prone to the problem.

saalweachter8y ago

Eh, there's a certain argument to be made and considered.

Manhattan only started mandating buried lines back in the telegraph era, because every time it snowed a bunch of lines went down and electrocuted people. Eventually you've got to say enough is enough and cut that shit out.

I assume if Tokyo had the problem to the same degree as Manhattan it would already be fixed. If it doesn't, then you're evaluating a more complicated set of trade-offs.

pixl978y ago

They spend a lot of money dI going it up and repairing it too

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