Roger OngJust an hour away from Sasebo city in Nagasaki prefecture, is the countryside of Koubaru. It lies in a beautiful valley of rice fields and carefree wildlife. Ishiki River also runs through it, a small river of the cleanest water and large number of species of fish.
Yet, behind this beauty hides a four-decade long fight to keep the homes of 13 households of 50 residents. It is also a fight to protect the environment that has been providing for generations living here. Because ever since 18 November 2019, the citizens have been ordered to relocate to make way for a dam.
With the latest order for the residents to leave the area, constructors have already started construction in the area. In fact, the Nagasaki government has not only decided to continue with the plan to construct the dam, but also announced to speed up construction.
With Protectors of Ishiki River as our guide, I visited the residents at Koubaru to find out what the latest developments are, and what kind of mood hangs over the community.
The claims for the need for Ishiki Dam
The proposal of the dam was first suggested by the governor of Nagasaki in 1972. According to the officials, there are two main reasons behind the dam project:
- Prevent flooding of Kawatana River (Ishiki River is a river branch of Kawatana River); and
- The need to trap water for the subsistence of Sasebo city.
Neither irrigation usage or generation of electricity is expected.
Flood control
The biggest reason why there is a push for the building of the dam is flood control. This is a real concern for the residents living along Kawatana River. Nagasaki prefecture sees a risk where subsequent rains could overflow the river and flood Kawatana town.
However, the increase in rainfall is not the only problem. Matsumoto from Protectors of Ishiki River shares, “It is estimated that a catastrophic flood will occur once every 100 years (the last one occurring in July 1990). And the threat is real, especially for citizens near the mouth of the river. If you look at the banks near the mouth of the river, you can see how near the sea line is to the houses.” Peering over the edge where one would expect a raised barrier, it is easy to imagine how an extended heavy rain could threaten the newly built houses on the embankments.
More water for subsistence
A shortage for water for future demand is the other justification for the dam. One of Sasebo’s 11 water sources comes from Kawatana River. According to the administration, the city is facing a water shortage. It estimates a humongous growth in water needs, despite a decreasing population in Sasebo. Water outages have occurred before, and they hope that the dam will provide more water reserve.
How one dam will brings a multitude of social and environmental problems
However, the residents of Koubaru and NPOs find the claims by the government insufficient. In fact, more and more Japanese are starting to find the claims for the dam strange. And because of that, they have been questioning if there’s really a need for the Ishiki dam.
Actual water usage by Sasebo city population
Sasebo city saw a constant decrease in population in the past decade, by 17,898 people down to 246,567 according to the latest census on January 1. Yet, based on the research provided by Japan River Keeper Alliance, there is no sign of increase in water needs Sasebo City. (The alliance focuses on communication between members to question dam constructions and seek better water source development in Japan.)
A constant question that surrounds the building of the dam is what the Sasebo government is basing their estimates on. Daily use by citizens is decreasing along with a decreasing population, yet the dam is still being built for old estimates. The same unusual estimates is seen factory water usage, estimating a sextuple increase in usage by 2024 [Reference 1].
Citizens will bear 35 billion yen in debt
The construction of the dam and its contingent works is estimated to cost 53.8 billion yen of taxpayers’ money (~USD 490 million). Of this, 35.3 billion yen (~USD 321 million) becomes debt under the citizens living in Sasebo.
Inarguably, the benefits must far outweigh the monetary and non-monetary costs to invest in such a gargantuan sum. Furthermore, that decision should come under strong scrutiny, professing that there are absolutely no other alternatives that have less impact on both lives and environment.
But the Protectors of Ishiki River and experts believe that it is not the case, with other alternatives left undiscussed. Even upon experts’ pleas about the dam’s outdated need and its environmental impact, it fell on deaf ears of the government (anyone getting deja vu?).
Dams are just bad for the environment
To build a dam is in essence sacrificing a natural piece of land for urbanization. Therefore, building a dam should require an absolute need.
Building a dam means the destruction of habitats. It is a forceful removal of spawning habitats for fishes and of food sources for ecosystems to strive. A dam also stagnates river flow, which is disorientating for fish migration. In particular, it will affect more than 10 species of fishes residing in Ishiki River, which bears historical importance. A rare species of fish, the Cobitis of Yamato variety, is found here too.
Moreover, river sediments like gravel and rock is held back by the dam, which is important for the maintenance of the river downstream. All these, on top of the loss of existing ecosystems due to the flooding behind the dam.
Therefore, the administration has a responsibility to justify that there is a need so great that it demands the sacrifice of the environment and displacement of its residents, both human and non-humans.
No alternative flood controls?
The sight at the Kawatana river mouth a worrying one. Levees, which are barriers against river overflow, stops a few hundred meters away from the river mouth. There are no other measures against flooding to be seen in sight for the residents near the river mouth. As it turns out, the difference between the two parts of the river stems from different bureaucracies.
This hints that the dam may be a “lazy” solution: build it and everything gets solved. However, the dam is not the best solution.
East of Kyoto, Shiga prefecture faces similar flooding issues, with multiple rivers flowing into its Lake Biwa. Shiga uses a multi-layered strategy for flood control. Infrastructure is but one of many approaches, focusing on suitability and maintenance. Urban planning, water trapping and citizen action also share the same importance. These information are made public to its citizens, which promotes a cooperation between both the local government and the residents to mitigate and manage flooding risks. [Reference 1]
In comparison, Nagasaki’s plan is to build a dam that controls only 11% of Kawatana River’s flow, which will be located towards to lower end of the river. It’s another reason residents are asking, “Is the dam really needed?”
Loss of Koubaru culture
Even though Koubaru is what many will call rural, it is in fact an active village.
Koubaru holds an annual Firefly Festival, which draws more than 500 visitors annually. It is held in every May, and visitors come to visit the famous fireflies that has made Koubaru a popular place to visit. In fact, they had once reached 1,000 visitors, which got the police involved to handle parking shortages.
The residents are interested in drawing visitors too, which is reflective of the national drive for regional revitalization. Koubaru was also a beautiful setting for a music festival WTK (short for official event name “WITNESS TO KOHBARU IN AUTUMN”), which in part was to promote the beauty of Koubaru. Participating artistes included Takeshi Kobayashi, Caravan, Salyu, Higashida Tomohiro and many more.
Furthermore, there is something we can learn on how Koubaru co-exists with nature. They are a self-sufficient farming community that has minimal impact on their surroundings. The community is also able to leverage on the environment’s attraction to bring in visitors.
If nothing, Koubaru is a potential test bed for sustainable measures, experimentation and studies. Sustainable tourism is one. Sustainable community being another. This opportunity, however, may soon no longer be available.
The disparity between an old bureaucracy and the modern movement for sustainability
So how did a fight for hometown and environment last half a century? The manner of unfolding circumstances was strange. The late governor Kanichi Kubo carried out a survey of the land to assess viability in 1974, and promised to not to carry on without getting permissions of the residents. All this was done despite the disapproval of the Koubaru residents. Regardless, results deemed a dam as viable, and Kubo submitted the proposal to build the dam.
The Ishiki Dam problem has since seen four different governors, who each saw the project as a “done deal”. This meant subsequent meetings were one-sided, in attempts to avoid further debate with the residents of Koubaru. Calls for a proper debate from the residents has fallen on deaf ears for decades.
Finally in 2013, signboards were put up in Koubaru. They inscribe the
Land Expropriation Law, which states that the government can take private land for public use through proper compensation. An ultimatum was issued.
Unfazed, the Koubaru residents continue questioning about the need for a dam, for over forty years till date. Yet, even now with current governor Houdo Nakamura, continues to assume that the basis for discussion is about relocation. This gap causes frustration in all parties, which fuels the residents’ adamancy to protect their homes.
That is not the only gap that needs to be closed. Priorities of a short politician’s term and the long-term needs of the environment are at conflict too. The decision to build a dam came from an era where the concept of sustainability has not taken root. Yet, even after Nagasaki prefecture has adopted the SDGs as one of their policies, it betrays that intention by continuing with its insistence on a four-decade-old one-sided decision.
Who’s next: a fight for a future promised to their children
“We might be fighting for ourselves,” shared Kazuo Iwashita in a poignant tone. It is difficult to truly understand how it feels to spend your youth, to spend four decades, fighting against the loss of your home. That is why Iwashita’s comment took me off guard.
The Ishiki dam problem isn’t just a conflict between the Koubaru residents and the government. Critics come from other citizens in Nagasaki prefecture too. Media also did not portray them in a positive light, often resulting in the impression that Koubaru residents are troublemakers against government policy. Matsumoto shared, however, “That is slowly changing though. There are people starting to understand the problem of Ishiki dam. Media outside of Nagasaki is also starting to notice, like when Asahi Television did a special episode on Koubaru. Even Patagonia has been supporting the opposition of the dam.”
Nevertheless, the residents feel that they are fighting by themselves. To them, it feels like they are standing by themselves against a tide that is the government. To stand on the lone grounds, against construction companies that claims themselves masters over nature.
However, their fight is not only for themselves. The residents of Koubaru are setting a precedent. If the dam is built, the natural environment surrounding Ishiki River will be lost. When the next need for urbanization calls, what will the government take next, especially from the neighboring regions? Who will be next?
There is a sustainable future if only we work towards them
Koubaru residents have been asking for over forty years, “Is there a need for a dam?” What I have seen in Koubaru makes me question the need. Sure, Koubaru doesn’t have a scenery that would qualify as a must-visit-before-you-die. However, I can now place my tongue on what Koubaru had that I couldn’t describe before: untainted.
Koubaru is untainted by unnecessary influences. Yes, there are simple roads, electricity infrastructure and vehicles for commute. Yet, the land is abundant and does not want, thus unfettered by excess often found cities. It wouldn’t be a boast to say that it is a scenery that has lasted for centuries, kept precious by the generations who lived in Koubaru. It is also a self-sustaining community that lives in co-existence with its surroundings. Farmlands, roaming wildlife and fireflies that turn the Ishiki River’s nights into a dance of lightwaves. There is knowledge here that we can pass on to future generations.
What kind of value does Nagasaki want to create by building a dam and erasing Koubaru? What future does it want to create for its residents and its children? The dam problem questions if Sasebo city or Nagasaki prefecture is serious about Sustainable Development Goals. It is prioritizing dated methods of national growth that doesn’t make sense in 2020, instead of looking to co-existence and circular economic solutions that already exist in the world. We can do better, because we must, and we can.
[Reference 1] Research data from Nationwide Rally to abandon Ishiki Dam construction[Website] Change Ishiki
[Website] Protectors of Ishiki River
[Additional Resource] Patagonia’s “DamNation” film
