Japanese World Cup fans nearly cause water catastrophe with halftime toilet breaks

Japanese football fans narrowly avoided a water crisis after a stampede of halftime toilet breaks caused shortages across Tokyo.

Millions of people rushed to the bathroom in the Japanese capital as the national side went in for half time in their match against Colombia at the World Cup on Tuesday.

But the city’s waterworks bureau revealed on Friday that water use jumped by 24 per cent in Tokyo during the break, leading to near-catastrophic consequences.

City authorities said the halftime demand places on waterworks rose by 24 per cent on Tuesday

Flushed with joy after watching Yuya Osako bag a second-half winner for Japan against 10-man Colombia in Russia on Tuesday, jubilant fans made another dash for the loo at the final whistle, causing another spike of 50 per cent in water use.  

‘We presume it’s because a lot of people holding off on a trip to the bathroom all went at once,’ a waterworks official told AFP. 

‘Water use can fluctuate, especially during football matches, which only have one break in the middle,’ she added.

‘It also can be affected by a period of time, excitement and other factors.

‘We are ready to prepare for a stable water supply during the next match on Sunday.’   

Japan now go on to play Senegal on Sunday – with officials in Tokyo saying they will be ready for the increased demand the fixture is expected to place on the city’s waterworks. 

The viewing rate for the fixture also hit a yearly high of 48.7 per cent in Japan, surpassing the 33.9 per cent marked when Japanese figure skating hero Yuzuru Hanyu won Olympic gold in February. 

The Tokyo waterboard said it would be increasing supply ahead of the next match against Senegal on Sunday

The viewing rate for the fixture also hit a yearly high of 48.7 per cent in Japan eclipsing the Olympics figures