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The recent flood in Kyushu and the flood control mechanism

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Japan Watch Project Analyst By Reni Juwitasari

Roads are flooded with heavy rain in Asakita Ward in the city of Hiroshima. | KYODO

Roads are flooded with heavy rain in Asakita Ward in the city of Hiroshima. | KYODO

 

In the first few days of July 2019, the Kyushu Island in the southwestern Japan was abruptly stricken by flooding and mudslides caused by torrential rain. As reported by Japan’s weather agency, the amounts of the heavy rainfall recorded were 1,010.5 mm per hour in Ebino, Miyazaki Prefecture, and 755.5 mm per hour in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture.
Every year, Japan traditionally experiences a rainy “Baiu or Tsuyu” (梅雨) season from the early June to July, as humid air from the south converges with cooler and drier air from the north. Torrential rain with strong wind is a regular occurrence during typhoons, which typically lasts from July to October. However this year, in some areas in Japan, such as in Kyushu Island, torrential rain poured down for more than 24 hours, excessively hovering the volume of water-river and eventually forming vast flooding. It was reported that on July 3, more than one million residents in Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefecture were warned by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency to evacuate as early as possible, without delay, “to protect themselves” as the massive downpour was predicted to become higher as the rain was projected to intensify for the next 12 – 72 hours. Regardless of the early warning announcement, an elder woman was reported to die after helplessly buried in the thick mud up to her neck at her own home in the Honjo district, following a tragic landslide on a mountain right behind her house. In Shibushi district, a 33-year-old woman and her child were reportedly suffer from minor injuries as her vehicle was trapped in a mudslide, while an 80-year-old woman in Satsumasendai district fell down and fractured her shoulder.
Prior to the disaster, the local media and the government officials, including Kagoshima’s Mayor Mr. Hiroyuki Mori, had warned local residents of the potential flooding and urged the people to leave their home. Moreover, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) held an emergency press conference to warn the people to be vigilant and to stay on high alert. In the city of Kagoshima alone, the place that was predicted as one of the hardest-hit regions, around 600,000 people were ordered to evacuate themselves. Kagoshima’s Governor, Mr. Satoshi Mitazono even mobilized the Self-Defense forces to assist the disaster relief in accordance to Prime Minister Abe’s order to deploy 14,000 Japanese Defense Forces (SDF) to stand by for any emergency rescue and search operations assistance. During the evacuation time, the local government had also designated almost 200 locations as the evacuation centers for local residents and their families. For its preparedness, there were no more severe loss and causalities in this flooding disaster.  
Incontestably, Japan has been a good example for disaster management. Particularly for flooding, historically speaking, the disaster management system to prevent flooding in Japan began in the Yayoi Era (300 BC – 300 AD) and it was continued until the Sengoku Era (1467-1573 AD). However, a more systematic disaster management based on large-scale flood was dated back to the Edo Era (1603-1867 A.D.). During that period, the Japanese were introduced to a system of flood mitigation by local countermeasures which they could measure based on the area to be protected and natural land characteristics. In the flood-prone regions, the residents independently built their own evacuation mounds (mizuka) and elevated shelters (mizuya), and even kept their emergency boats in anticipating the flood.  Likewise, during Meiji Era (1868-1912), the necessity of fundamental flood control measures was getting even stronger until it became a priority goal of discussion at the Imperial Diet.  In the national policy, the attention was focused on the river that was acknowledged as the center of Japan’s economic activities. As the rivers became the national asset to be managed by local governments, consequently, flood control had to be part of the local government’s responsibility.
In 1910, Japan experienced the nationwide flooding disaster, and an Emergency Flood Control Committee was later formed by the Imperial Order. Their tasks were on selection of rivers to be improved through national projects, conducting the priority of improvement and budgeting the costs and periods of construction. It was formulated for three phases of Flood Control Plan until the early Showa Era in the mid of 1930s. During the Second World War to 1964, for the first time a legal basis was established for long-term flood control plans from 5 to 10 years. Multi-purpose dams designed for both flood control and water utilization were constructed to develop water resources needed to meet the rapidly growing demands for industrial and municipal water accompanying rapid economic growth which was centralized under the control of river administration.
Another issue of flood control in Japan was occurred in the period of rapid urbanization in 1965. In the post-war era, Japan began to face not only flood damage in urban areas because of inadequate flood control management, but also other river-related problems, such as water pollution in rivers and lakes, as well as serious water shortages. Nevertheless, the Japanese government took its effort seriously to respond and cope with the problem. There were two reports titled “Interim Report on Policies for Comprehensive Flood Control Measures” and “Recommendation on Policies for Protection from Extreme Flood” published in 1977 and 1987 respectively in order to systematically analyze and provide the proper management system. In addition, to eliminate the flood problem, Japan initiated a new approach to urban flood management in 1979, a year after report enacted, through works on the whole river-basins, structural river measures and non-structural measures, such as widening of river channels, conducting hazard maps, early warning and evacuation drills. The government invested 3.7 trillion JPY (approximately US$ 37 billion) in 17 selected urban rivers in metropolitan areas.
Additionally, the 1979 urban flood management on hazard maps have been still preserved by local public bodies in Japan together with those of the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and other Agencies indicating where there is a risk of landslides and flooding after torrential rains.  Moreover, since last year, the Japanese Government has been allocating a total 3 to 4 trillion JPY research panel on measures to boost resilience to natural disasters and disaster risk reduction.
Today, Japan has created several mechanisms by three levels of disaster management planning, as follow 1) Basic Disaster Management Plan by the Central Disaster Management Council, 2) Disaster Management Operation Plan by each designated government and public corporation, and 3) Local Disaster Management Plan by Prefectural and Municipal Disaster Management Councils. Japan has been experiencing several flooding disaster events since 1742, yet due to the improvement of the flood control management, the number of loss and damages has been impressively decreasing.

 

References:
Online Newspaper
Downpours trigger flooding, 1.1. mil. Asked to evacuate in Japan. (2019, July 4). Kyodo News. Retrieved from: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/07/4254a2011e3a--evacuation-order-issued-as-rain-continues-to-lash-southwestern-japan.html? fbclid=IwAR00L4fNppR48v5ZbC8BRv1_n_5UZyWsAhY8fgnfK907gK1zlRFUwIAwdAg 
Flooding in Japan prompts evacuation directive for more than 1 million people. (2019, July 3). CBS News. Retrieved from: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/flooding-in-japan-evacuation-directive-more-than-1-million-kyushu-rains-today-2019-07-03/?fbclid=IwAR3VH327k4mAYKrLzO0YRi2F8AGsWvIFTLzxzr6jHfBsXBB_fdXhgGK2xO0
Government draws up disaster reduction measures after summer flood across western Japan. (2018, Nov 23). The Japan Times. Retrieved from: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/11/23/national/government-draws-disaster-reduction-measures-summer-floods-across-western-japan/?fbclid=IwAR0IiIsEH0MKK61IVjOTaf5fDynlBdFM-g3amsilNtP4hNz2W2LlcM45IeU#.XSTM8ugzbIX
Heavy rains prompt evacuation orders in Kagoshima as weather agency warns of mudslides and floods. (2019, July 1). The Japan Times. Retrieved from: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/01/national/heavy-rain-forecast-affect-wide-areas-japan-coming-days/?fbclid=IwAR0NOQQ2sNPuWBlL6U-0mWeiOJSobskaqcCU0faVmvpciRMLTu0V_bYBLzI#.XSSc7ugzbIW
More than 1 million ordered to evacuate as Japanese prefecture braces for a moth of rain in one day. (2019, July 3). CNN. Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/03/asia/japan-heavy-rainfall-intl-hnk/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3VuJxyQ2J7MSdbpNPAFC_m5MdJj3EBLJEMViVEJj5GYyHqEjjMYV_0HqY

 

 

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