Iwate Rikuzentakata tidal flats Biological experts request temporary suspension of landfill from surplus soil October 2, 19:54
A group of experts said that the tidal flats in Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, which has been selected as an important wetland by the Ministry of the Environment, could lose valuable ecosystems due to the reclamation of residual soil that the city is conducting as a reconstruction project. I submitted a request to the city to suspend.
Regarding this, Minister of the Environment Koizumi said, "Reconstruction from the earthquake and environmental conservation must be promoted in an integrated manner, and it is important to carefully proceed with the reconstruction project based on the opinions of local people and experts." Said.
The request was submitted to Rikuzentakata City by the Natural Environment Conservation Committee of the Benthos Society of Japan, which is made by experts in benthic organisms.
In the tidal flat called "Otomoura" in Hirota Bay, Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, the city has been working on reclaiming 54,000 cubic meters of residual soil generated by the earthquake reconstruction work since August.
After the tidal flat was reclaimed in the 1965's, the embankment collapsed due to the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake and it became a tidal flat again, and rare species of shellfish etc. were also confirmed in 2016. Has been selected as an "important wetland" by the Ministry of the Environment.
The city plans to reclaim the tidal flats by smoothing the reclaimed land in the future and covering it with sand, but a group of experts said that the current method of reclaiming the surplus soil is the current ecology of the tidal flats. As the system would be lost, we submitted a request to the city to suspend the landfill, reconsider the method of treating the surplus soil, and protect the tidal flats and organisms.
At a press conference on the 2nd, Minister of the Environment Koizumi said, "The entire Hirota Bay, including the tidal flats around Otomoura, has been selected as a wetland of high importance from the perspective of biodiversity. It does not pose any legal restrictions. , Since it is selected to encourage businesses to consider maintenance, please use it appropriately as basic data. I heard that the city conducted interviews with multiple experts during the construction, and continued to do so. It is important to listen to the opinions of various experts and carry out the construction appropriately. It is important to proceed with the reconstruction project in an integrated manner, and it is important to proceed with the reconstruction project carefully. ".
Rikuzentakata City told NHK that "the city intends to carry out the construction while considering living things, but I would like to proceed with the construction while listening to the opinions of experts as much as possible."