Small-scale Water and Sanitation Infrastructure in Depopulation Region

Abstract

The management of water and sanitation infrastructure under Japan’s current phase of depopulation has already become an urgent issue for the country. This paper focuses on water and sanitation infrastructure in small municipalities and rural areas where population decline is being felt significantly. It discusses possibilities for and issues surrounding more decentralized and community-managed systems, mainly referring to examples of small-scale water supply systems that have been established in Hokkaido. In addition, the paper considers resource recycling models in small-scale sanitation infrastructure being implemented in Japan amid the issue of declining population. Site-specific considerations become very important when considering the future of sanitation infrastructure in low-population density areas. It is, therefore, important to have a wide range of flexible measures available and to be prepared with a methodology for comparing these various options.