淀川水系整備計画をめぐる対立と合意形成

抄録

The conflict concerning the River Basin Improvement Plan is focused on the relation between the upper and lower stream, the government, and Local inhabitants. In recent years, such a confrontation is rapidly changing to a new stage: “To fulfill the accountability for the stakeholders by the national government.” In the past 100 years, such a situation has never been witnessed with regard to the River Basin Improvement Planning Technique. Up to the present time, the Yodo River Basin Improvement Plan has always determined the essence and the planning technique of the Japanese River Basin Improvement Plan. The drastic change in the development of the River Basin Improvement Plan is impacting the management of the Yodo River.

The Committee of the Yodo River insisted on the importance of “Openness, Transparency, and Independence” for “The Yodo River Basin Improvement Plan (Draft/Aug.28.2006)” and further care with regard to “Social Consent Building in the Yodo River Basin Improvement Plan.”

The basic principle and definite proposal toward the River Basin Improvement Plan by the Committee of the Yodo River emphasized the importance of the “The Publicity of Information” and “The Opening of the Planning Process.” This manner of thinking coincides with the fundamental attitude of the new river law, although it is rather different from the traditional method of the Yodo River Basin Improvement Planning. This is because a new system requires an explicit planning process in order to introduce decisions made by the local inhabitants.

From the standpoints of river basin governance and the establishment of a citizen society, “River-Ranger”-a program that ensures coordination among stakeholders-is proposed. This new concept is useful for coordination under the new method of River Basin Improvement Planning, and in the future, the importance of this function will increase.

The change in the direction of the planning process with regard to “Social Consent” and “Accountability” is not completely accepted and understood by society. This discussion is rather useful for the formulation of river policy. At the same time, introducing Social Consent in the planning process is not a very easy task. The reason that the Committee of the Yodo River does not approve of the River Basin Improvement Plan is “The Insufficiency of the Explanation of the Necessary Condition.” In other words, in the process involving the new concept of Social Consent, the traditional decision-making system is not useful. Not only the River Basin Improvement Plan but also most of the public works were on the verge of adopting the new system.

“The Yodo River Method” will lead Japanese River Basin Improvement Planning and will become an ideal model of Social Consent after an intensive discussion of the conflict with the stakeholders.