Governance of disaster emergency wells in three cities in Japan affected by earthquakes

Concern has grown regarding how public and private sectors should make effective use of local groundwater to alleviate negative impacts of water-supply cutoff following an earthquake event, which can be regarded as an emergency groundwater governance problem. Existing literature on groundwater governance, however, is based on the tacit assumption of groundwater utilization under normal social conditions, and scant consideration has been given to the role of groundwater following occurrence of a natural disaster. This study conducted questionnaire surveys to reveal how groundwater was used in three cities (Kumamoto, Sapporo, and Sendai) in Japan struck by large earthquakes between 2010 and 2020. Results revealed substantial differences between these cities in terms of groundwater utilization following earthquake occurrence. The time between the restoration of the electricity supply and restoration of the waterworks, and the social capital accumulated by local governments, are indicated as possible reasons for such differences. Analysis also identified policy challenges for improved groundwater governance in an emergency: (1) establishment of a strategy for emergency water supply through combined use of groundwater and other water sources, (2) enhancement of methods for timely inspection of groundwater quality following occurrence of a disaster, (3) maintenance of records of the number of registered disaster emergency wells (DEWs), (4) creation of methods for publicizing locational information on DEWs with adequate regard for the privacy of well owners, and (5) recognition of the importance of making DEWs part of overall disaster preparedness.

     

日本虎杖覆盖对连作的影响——日本西阿瓦陡坡土地农业系统传统耕作评价

禾本科物种(例如银草、芦苇)在日本传统的地膜覆盖农业中普遍使用,西阿瓦地区是全球重要的农业遗产系统(GIAHS)所在地。传统上,这里的农民使用银草覆盖农业土壤。但当地农民从长期的经验中了解到,日本虎杖覆盖更适合该地区茄科作物的种植。目前尚不清楚日本虎杖覆盖物为何对茄科作物的种植有益。在本项研究中,我们假设日本虎杖覆盖物可能会有效避免连续种植马铃薯的危害。因为过去每年都会种植两次本地马铃薯,因此,我们调查了日本虎杖覆盖对连续种植马铃薯以及番茄种植后对马铃薯产量的影响。在2018年进行的田间试验中,我们首先在连续马铃薯栽培的土壤和未耕种的土壤中比较了日本虎杖覆盖、银草覆盖和无草覆盖(对照)对马铃薯产量的影响,结果表明日本虎杖覆盖减少了马铃薯产量的降低程度。其次,我们比较了番茄种植后的土壤和未耕种的土壤中的虎杖覆盖和无草覆盖对马铃薯产量的影响,结果再次表明了日本虎杖覆盖减少了马铃薯生长和产量下降的程度。这些发现表明用日本虎杖覆盖有助于避免连续种植马铃薯的风险。     

Suppressive Effects of Traditional Mulching Using Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) on Solanaceae Crop Diseases

Poaceae plant species, such as silver grass, are commonly used in mulching activities Japan. In contrast, local farmers have traditionally used Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) mulch in the cultivation of solanaceous crops in the Nishi-Awa area of Japan, which is a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems site. We have previously evaluated the positive effects of Japanese knotweed mulching on solanaceous crops, such as eggplants, tomato, and potato. In the present study, we observed that the naturally occurring diseases in the solanaceous crops tended to decrease when the knotweed mulching system was adopted, in comparison to when Poaceae mulch was adopted. In eggplants, leaf mold and powdery mildew decreased under Japanese knotweed mulching. We further evaluated the effects of Japanese knotweed mulching by inoculating test plants with Pseudomonas cichorii. We observed suppression of bacterial disease and tomato mosaic virus under Japanese knotweed mulching and following spraying with Japanese knotweed extracts. In addition, disease-resistance genes were expressed at high levels in Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant, following treatment with Japanese knotweed extracts. The results suggest that Japanese knotweed has potential applications in future sustainable agriculture activities.