Climate change impacts
The "Heavy Rainfall in July 2018" caused record-breaking rainfall over a wide area nationwide, mainly in western Japan, including over 900mm in the northern Kyushu region, resulting in extensive damage including river flooding, inundation, and landslides. As it is known that when temperatures rise by 1°C, the amount of water vapor increases by approximately 7%, the long-term trend of increased of water vapor in the atmosphere as a function of increasing average temperatures due to global warming is considered to have contributed to this.
Adaptation activity
In August 2015, the Waste Management and Public Hygiene Law and the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act were revised, and the Basic Policy for Comprehensive and Systematic Promotion of Measures on Waste Reduction and Proper Waste Disposal stipulated that local governments should create Disaster Waste Disposal Plans. When developing these plans, it is important to consider how to implement disaster waste disposal in advance of emergencies; when time, personnel, data, etc. are relatively available. Aspects covered by the plan include policy, systems, sorting and disposal, and environmental issues affecting disposal based on estimating the amount of disaster waste (Note 1) according to hazard predictions. Procurement procedures and objectives, the allocation of human resources, funds, facilities, equipment, information, etc. are all required to implement these measures (Fig.).
Currently, many prefectures have already developed disaster waste disposal plans and they are also being developed at the municipal level. The experience of the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016 and torrential rainfall in northern Kyūshū in 2017, prompted the creation of the "Mutual Support Agreement for Disaster Waste Disposal, etc. for the 9 Prefectures of Kyūshū and Yamaguchi" (i.e. 8 prefectures in Kyūshū plus Yamaguchi Prefecture (see Note 2) in November 2017. This agreement stipulates key issues for promptly and efficiently disposing of waste caused by large-scale disasters in the event that a single prefecture is unable to solve its waste disposal issues alone. The agreement of support provides for the dispatch of personnel to disaster-affected prefectures to assist in promptly and appropriately disposing disaster waste. It also stipulates the sharing of information on disaster waste disposal resources (waste disposal facilities, waste-related organizations, etc.) owned by each prefecture for the general disposal of disaster waste in times of regular operation.
Outputs / Expected benefits
The mutual support agreement was invoked by Saga Prefecture for the disposal of waste generated by torrential rainfall around August 27, 2019. In response, Fukuoka and Nagasaki Prefectures assisted in disaster waste disposal.
Footnote
(Note 1) Method for estimating of the volume of disaster-waste（https://www-cycle.nies.go.jp/magazine/mame/201404.html）
(Note 2) The nine prefectures of Kyūshū and Yamaguchi are Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa, and Yamaguchi.
