福井県大野盆地の家庭浅井戸枯渇問題にみる住民の環境認識

抄録

During and after the period of rapid postwar economic growth, some of the home wells in the town of Ohno occasionally ran dry in winter because of the overuse of groundwater. Since water saving in factories was not successful, the government of Ohno City demanded the abandonment of private pumping to melt snow on roads and roofs, only to be ignored by many residents. Households suffering water shortages were forced to dig deeper wells. In 1977, the government finally prohibited residents from melting snow with groundwater, and, at the same time, began constructing a waterworks.
Unfortunately, Ohno had heavy snow in 1980, 1981, and 1984 ; the maximum depth of which was 2.64 meters. Some residents resumed the practice of melting snow with water in spite of the prohibition, and some renewed their wells, or used city water during the winter. As of the late 1990s, it is estimated that one third of households have deep, machine-bored wells.
In this process, groundwater has not been recognized as an element of the natural environment to be conserved, but one of the natural resources, for which town residents, industry, and agriculture have competed.