Eliminate “groovy grooves”! The voice of the bereaved moves the country December 20, 19:08

"My husband's death was not wasted." The bereaved family who lost three family members in an irrigation channel accident told us in tears. At least 2,000 people have been killed or injured in irrigation canals and ditches in residential areas throughout the country last year. In response to this situation, the government decided to start a project to subsidize all costs for countermeasures for irrigation canals conducted by prefectures in the next fiscal year. A irrigation canal accident that was even said to be worse. It was a big step toward countermeasures. (Waterway Accident Coverage Team / Toyama Bureau Reporter Mari Saeki and Satoshi Nakatani)

“Everyday people die in irrigation canals”

It was three years ago that we started reporting on the irrigation channel accident. At that time, I felt that the word “irrigation accident” was not well known. Many people died in the irrigation canal in a month, but many officials from the police and the government often say, “It ’s an everyday event that people die in the irrigation canal. Why are you interviewing?” was.

However, I went to the scene of all the fatal accidents in Toyama Prefecture to find out the cause of the accident where so many people died. By requesting cooperation from experts and analyzing the accident, it has been found that fatal accidents are occurring even in narrow irrigation canals, that most of the dead are occupied by elderly people, while young children are also dying. It was.

In a narrow irrigation channel that does not seem dangerous at first glance, if you fall, your body will block the water, drown and you will die, or if you fall down, you will swallow water and panic and you will not be able to escape. We also found that older people and young children have weaker powers and are killed by long distances in fast-flowing irrigation channels.

Countermeasure why does not progress?

Why aren't measures such as the installation of fences and lids going on when many people have died? When I continued to report, the current situation that the subject that owns and manages the irrigation channel has problems emerged.

Some irrigation canals are managed by the country and municipalities, and in some areas land improvement districts manage many irrigation canals. A land improvement district is an organization operated by neighboring farmers with the aim of maintaining farmland.

In Toyama Prefecture, in August of last year, a 69-year-old man fell to a waterway without a fence or lid and died. The scene was an accident when a man was going home by bicycle on a irrigation canal along a prefectural road with heavy traffic.

“A very painful accident occurred, but honestly, the land improvement district did not recognize the danger.”

The irrigation channel managed by this land improvement district is 440 kilometers in total. It is not possible to grasp all the dangerous spots with three staff members. In addition, there is not enough budget for safety measures for irrigation canals.

In order to support financially demanding land improvement districts, the country started a project to subsidize some of the expenses when the land improvement districts took safety measures from 2017. However, even in this project, the land improvement district must bear 40% of the project cost.

In the end, we had to ask the farmers to give out more money, leaving the fundamental problem that it was difficult to understand.

The country takes its first action

Under these circumstances, a project that subsidizes the entire amount of measures led by prefectures was included for the first time in the initial budget plan for the country next year. The reason why the country moved was the request of the bereaved family's voice that “I do not want an accident to happen again” and requests from Toyama and Niigata prefectures where there are many accidents.

In the budget plan, even for irrigation channels managed by municipalities and land improvement districts, the total cost of the countermeasures is subsidized for places where there is a high risk of falling, such as typhoons and heavy rains that make it difficult to understand the boundary with the road. Currently, it is a business for the next year, but it is expected that safety measures for irrigation canals will be led by prefectures.

“It means that the national government recognized the irrigation accident as a problem of the whole society, not just the land improvement district or area that owns the irrigation channel. Many children and elderly people have been killed by the irrigation accident. I hope this budget will be used to take measures to avoid repeating this history. "

Ten canals for the earth

However, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the total nationwide extension is estimated to be 400,000 kilometers, equivalent to 10 laps of the earth. Measures will be promoted from the irrigation canals that the prefectures utilizing the new business of the country have judged to be dangerous and urgent. Countermeasures do not start immediately at all hazardous locations, including small irrigation canals.

To reduce miserable irrigation accidents

Reiko Yonehara of Nyuzen Town, Toyama Prefecture, who lost her husband, father, and sister's family in an irrigation channel accident. “I still can't accept the reality of why I lost my husband on the irrigation channel,” he told our interview.

The days when I was busy working together while raising children. After raising my child, I lost my life with my husband in the blink of an eye. Mr. Yonehara talks about the painful heart because of his keen desire to “eliminate people who have such thoughts”.

Through the coverage of the irrigation channel accident, we have touched the sadness of many bereaved families, including Mr. Yonehara. This time, the country has taken a big step, but I feel it is important to convey the voice of the bereaved family and know the dangers along with hardware measures such as the installation of fences and lids.

Toyama Prefecture, which has many accidents in the whole country, has decided to reinforce the activities to inform the dangers by setting the enlightenment month twice next spring and autumn. I would like to continue to report on the future so as not to repeat the miserable accident of dying in a nearby irrigation canal.

News post

We look forward to providing you with information on irrigation canal accidents. Please write "irrigation accident" in the post.

Toyama station reporter
Mari Saeki

Toyama station reporter
Satoshi Nakatani