Water Projects in Kansai Kansai people are said to have a high level of awareness regarding water resources. The region has pioneered many of Japan's water projects, such as the Lake Biwa Irrigation Canal during the early Meiji period. Here are some water projects of recent years. Advanced water purification system Osaka Prefecture Murano purification plant,water purification control center Multistory water treatment plant (general view) Since July 1998 the Osaka Prefectural Government has been working to install an advanced water purification system at all of the purification plants it operates. The system eliminates the musty odor caused by eutrophication in Lake Biwa as well as preventing the inflow of domestic and industrial effluent to ensure safe, clean-tasting water for 41 cities, towns and villages in the prefecture. This advanced purification system supplements the standard water treatment processes of coagulation, sedimentation, sand-filtration and chlorination with three additional processes, namely biofilm treatment, ozone treatment and granular activated charcoal treatment. General Affairs Section, Waterworks Department, Osaka Prefecture TEL 06-6941-0351 ext. 3214 Note: Advanced water purification systems may use ozone treatment alone or use a combination of two of the three above-mentioned treatment processes. In the Kansai's other prefectures (Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga, Mie and Wakayama), individual cities, towns and villages have introduced systems suited to local water conditions. Advanced water purification system Osaka Prefecture Microorganisms effectively eliminate ammonia nitrogen in water. Ozone works to decompose trihalomethanes and substances that cause musty odors. This system effectively eliminates trihalomethanes and substances that cause musty odors. Pollution levels monitored by the color of waste water Promoting the Hanshin Canal Project From general development to general conservation at Lake Biwa Wakayama City Wakayama City regulates liquid waste from the many dye works and chemical plants in the city by assessing the waste's color, turbidity, temperature and residual chlorine, a unique system for purifying public water supplies that is not used anywhere else in Japan. To measure color, for example, liquid waste is diluted with distilled water and compared with the distilled water until the two are indistinguishable in color. The color value is calculated according to how much the waste liquid has been diluted. This method has many advantages, including its ease of use, ability to be used with various types of waste, and ability to provide a numerical expression of the degree of color. The implementation of this regulation in fiscal 1994 has helped improve the clarity of river water in the city as well as bring fish back to the rivers. Office for Environmental Conservation, Living Environment Department, Wakayama City TEL 073-435-1070 Hyogo Prefecture The Ministry of Construction and Hyogo Prefectural Government are promoting the Hanshin Canal Project to bring water from the Yodo River system to rivers in the Osaka-Kobe area with low water volume. The project was conceived after the Great Hanshin Earthquake, in which efforts to extinguish fires at an early stage were hindered by water shortages. The project will connect the cities of Suita and Toyonaka in Osaka Prefecture with Kobe by way of Amagasaki, Nishinomiya and Ashiya, all in Hyogo Prefecture, using pipes two to three meters in diameter and 50 kilometers in total length for a water supply of 3 to 5 m3 per second. While ensuring adequate water supply in times of disaster, the project also aims to create attractive waterfront locations containing much greenery. With the project being positioned as a key aspect of the Millennium City with Water and Greenery vision of the future for the Osaka-Kobe area, an early start to construction is being sought. River Section, Civil Engineering Department, Hyogo Prefecture TEL 078-341-7711 Shiga Prefecture The Lake Biwa General Development Project, one of Japan's largest water resource development projects and in effect since 1972, has as its objectives the conservation of the lake's natural environment and the restoration of water quality in order to use the water as a resource and to improve the welfare of citizens affected. This project is a pioneering effort based on the three pillars of conservation, flood control, and irrigation and involves the joint effort of 22 bodies run by the national, prefectural, and municipal governments as well as a public corporation for water resources development. The combined efforts of these parties have led to the achievement of a maximum water supply rate of 40 m3 per second to the Osaka-Kobe area, a decrease in flooding, greater social and economic potential, and environmental improvements aimed at enhancing tourism and recreation at the lake. New measures are now being studied in relation to ecological conservation in order to usher in a new age for Lake Biwa based on the three new pillars of the protection of water quality, the fostering of water resources, and the conservation of the natural environment and scenery. Water Policy Section, Lake Biwa Environmental Department, Shiga Prefecture TEL 077-524-1121 TOP All images Copyright. 1999 Kansai International Public Relations Promotion Office. All Rights Reserved.