Environmental Challenges in Chiba Prefecture: The Struggle of Teganuma and Inba Marsh and the Search for Rehabilitation 2001

Environmental Challenges in Chiba Prefecture: The Struggle of Teganuma and Inba Marsh and the Search for Rehabilitation 2001

Around 2001, Chiba Prefecture was undergoing a major shift in its environmental preservation policy, as symbolized by the withdrawal of the reclamation of Sanbanse in Tokyo Bay. Meanwhile, inland lakes and marshes, Teganuma and Inba-numa, were ranked first and second worst in Japan for water pollution and continued to pose a serious problem. The inflow of domestic and agricultural wastewater resulting from urbanization and residential land development since the period of rapid economic growth has led to eutrophication, and the large amount of blue-green algae, foul odors, and damage to the fishing industry have threatened the lives of the residents. In Teganuma Marsh, sewerage system construction and water conduit projects from the Tone River have been underway since the 1970s, but improvements have been limited because the population has not kept pace with the increase in population. While the Inba Marsh also functioned as the key for flood control and water utilization in t
he Tone River system, agricultural development and urban wastewater continued to flow into the swamp, and the water quality continued to deteriorate. Faced with this situation, Chiba Prefecture under Governor Akiko Domoto decided in October 2001 to create a new fund for environmental conservation and restoration. The prefecture's finances were so strained that the balance of local government bonds had reached 1.9 trillion yen, but even so, the prefecture announced a policy of soliciting donations from prefectural residents, municipalities, and businesses to begin full-scale projects in the following fiscal year. This fund marked a shift from the traditional public works-type policy to an era of nature restoration with the cooperation of local residents and the private sector. Although the restoration of Teganuma and Inba Marsh was not an easy task, along with Sanbanze, it was an effort that symbolized a new direction for environmental policy in Chiba Prefecture at the beginn
ing of the 21st century.