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| Landslide studies soar in FY2015 / Akita, Fukushima lead rise in checks of potential hazard areas | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 20 Aug 2015, 10:51 PM (38 Views) | |
| skibboy | 20 Aug 2015, 10:51 PM Post #1 |
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Landslide studies soar in FY2015 / Akita, Fukushima lead rise in checks of potential hazard areas The Yomiuri Shimbun August 20, 2015 By Kiyofumi Matsunaga and Hirokazu Masuda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers There has been a sharp jump in the number of locations checked or scheduled to be checked for possible designation as landslide caution zones or other hazard areas, according to a survey by The Yomiuri Shimbun. The Yomiuri found that about 42,000 locations were checked, or scheduled to be checked, in fiscal 2015 as part of basic investigations being carried out by prefectures on possible landslide and other hazard areas. This was up dramatically from the about 29,000 checks conducted in the previous fiscal year. Thursday marked the first anniversary of the sediment disaster in Hiroshima that killed 75 people. The rise in the number of basic investigations conducted or scheduled to be conducted apparently stems from a growing sense of urgency among local governments and residents, but difficulties remain in actually making designations. The Sediment Disaster Prevention Law stipulates that prefectural governments should carry out basic investigations in possibly dangerous areas prone to landslides or mudflows to study their terrain, geology and other elements. After conducting basic investigations, prefectural governments are supposed to individually designate “landslide caution zones,” where a system to conduct emergency evacuations for residents must be in place, and “special landslide caution zones,” where regulations on housing construction and other matters are introduced. As of the end of March, there were about 640,000 possibly dangerous areas for landslides across the nation. The law was revised in January following the sediment disaster in Hiroshima, to stipulate that the land, infrastructure, transport and tourism minister will ask prefectures that are lagging behind in basic investigations to address the situation. The Yomiuri Shimbun asked prefectural governments about the progress in their basic investigations. According to the findings, 12 prefectures, including Aomori, Tochigi and Fukuoka, completed basic investigations by fiscal 2014. Among the remaining 35 prefectures, Akita and Fukushima showed the largest year-on-year increase in the number of basic investigations conducted or to be conducted, with their combined figure for this fiscal year climbing to 5.2 times that in the previous fiscal year. Akita Prefecture increased its initial expenditures for basic investigations for this fiscal year to 3.7 times that in the previous fiscal year, and Fukushima Prefecture increased it to 1.8 times. The number of basic investigations carried out or scheduled to be carried out this fiscal year rose to 3.7 times last year’s level in Osaka Prefecture, 2.7 times in Kochi Prefecture, 2.5 times in Hyogo Prefecture and 2.2 times in Mie Prefecture. Prefectures showing a large increase in their figures had higher budgets or more staff for basic investigations. According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, the national average rate of designating landslide caution zones was 62.3 percent as of July. The rate likely will increase as prefectural governments conduct more investigations. Hiroshima most dangerous There are about 34,000 possibly dangerous areas for landslides in Hiroshima Prefecture, the most of all 47 prefectures. In last year’s disaster, mudflows and other types of sediment disasters occurred in 166 locations in the city of Hiroshima. Of the 166 locations, 126 were not designated as landslide caution zones, while the basic investigations required for such designation had not been carried out in 67 locations. “We should take seriously the fact that we failed to make information on landslide danger zones available to residents. We must secure the budget and manpower to make designations four or five times faster than usual,” an official in charge of the matter at the Hiroshima prefectural government said. The Hiroshima prefectural government allocated about ¥1.76 billion for basic investigations in the supplementary budget for fiscal 2014 and initial budget for fiscal 2015. This is more than four times the usual amount. The prefectural government also created a new post to promote designation work based on the Sediment Disaster Prevention Law. Six officials assigned to the post work exclusively in this area, reflecting Hiroshima’s all-out efforts to accelerate designations. Support grows among residents Local residents’ opinions are gradually changing, too. The Ishikawa prefectural government finished designating 4,420 locations in March this year, one year ahead of its original goal of the end of fiscal 2015. When local governments held briefings with residents, some would say things like, “We don’t have any disasters, so why does this place need to be designated?” as a landslide-prone area, according to a prefectural government official. Since the Hiroshima disaster, however, more and more people have begun to feel that disasters could happen anywhere, so designation cannot be helped. “I think they’ve realized how horrible a disaster can be,” the official said. In Wakayama Prefecture, the number of designations jumped from 1,306 locations as of August 2011, right before the flood in its Kii area, to 6,417 as of the end of July this year. The Higashi-Iwashiro district of Minabe was designated last month. “I was a little worried about a drop in land prices, but that can’t compare with the importance of our lives,” said the Higashi-Iwashiro district head, 65. “We can also expect more countermeasures by the local government, such as construction work needed for disaster management.” Source:
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9:53 AM Jul 11