Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze the problems of human waste and sewage disposal in Ishinomaki City of Miyagi Prefecture following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. In this paper, the challenges that arose concerning raw sewage and the disposal of human waste are reported, as well as how those challenges were dealt with and what kinds of problems are yet to be addressed.
Before the earthquake, Ishinomaki City was a fishing town with a population of approximately 160000, it suffered the greatest damage of all Japan′s disaster stricken areas. Of the two sewage treatment plants in Ishinomaki City (not including any rural and fishing community sewage facilities), Ishinomaki Tobu Sewage Disposal Plant, located on the coast, suffered critical damage. Moreover, access to toilets and sewage treatment became a grave problem as about 37000 people sought refuge in schools and community centers in Ishinomaki City just after the earthquake and tsunami hit.
This paper first describes the situation regarding sewage treatment before and after the earthquake in Ishinomaki City. Secondly, the paper reports on the response by Ishinomaki City, along with access and usage of toilets at evacuation centers. Finally, some of the problems that arose due to the way in which sewage treatment was handled in Ishinomaki City, and a possible path to restoration, are also discussed.
