Partnership between a farmers' irrigation association and inhabitants in its command area has became a new target in Japanese society. We have probably two ways to realize the partnership. One is inhabitants' participation in maintenance works for irrigation/drainage facilities, and the other is their financial support. But in reality, we have many barriers and constraints for them socially, legally and administratively, especially for making a charge for sharing operation and maintenance cost of irrigation/drainage systems to inhabitants.

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In this study, we investigated on the relationship between children's water-playing and environmental characteristics of irrigation channels in Koura-town Shiga prefecture. Koura-town has a long history of irrigation, and in 1988, irrigation management improving project through community initiative was started. Channel is upgraded from the aspects of ecosystem and accessibility to the water.
Process of this study is as bellow: First, workshop research for children. Secondly, environmental research of channels. Thirdly, cluster analysis of channels using environmental data. And finally, identifying the factors for bathing and evaluating environmental characteristics of irrigation channels for children's water-playing.
Main findings included;
1) Division works provide diversity of water play as well as natural habitats. Good quantity of water is important for ecosystem of channels, and complexity of physical structure provides children a better chance to access into the water.
2) Side ditches along houses provide“catching river crab”space for children. In the irrigation management improving project through community initiative, most of side ditches were left open, and gravel was lie on the channel bed to support natural habitat. And water flow through out the year provides habitat of river crab. Small scale of side ditches give good conditions for younger children to play catching river crab and fishes living in the channels.

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In this study, we investigated on the relationship between children's water-playing and environmental characteristics of irrigation channels in Koura-town Shiga prefecture. Koura-town has a long history of irrigation, and in 1988, irrigation management improving project through community initiative was started. Channel is upgraded from the aspects of ecosystem and accessibility to the water.
Process of this study is as bellow: First, workshop research for children. Secondly, environmental research of channels. Thirdly, cluster analysis of channels using environmental data. And finally, identifying the factors for bathing and evaluating environmental characteristics of irrigation channels for children's water-playing.
Main findings included;
1) Division works provide diversity of water play as well as natural habitats. Good quantity of water is important for ecosystem of channels, and complexity of physical structure provides children a better chance to access into the water.
2) Side ditches along houses provide“catching river crab”space for children. In the irrigation management improving project through community initiative, most of side ditches were left open, and gravel was lie on the channel bed to support natural habitat. And water flow through out the year provides habitat of river crab. Small scale of side ditches give good conditions for younger children to play catching river crab and fishes living in the channels.

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Kumamoto Area is so rich in groundwater that it is possible to supply all their residential water for a population of about 900, 000 from groundwater. Such plentiful supply of groundwater is coursed by geological features and land use in Kumamoto Area. However, in this area, groundwater level has been getting lower in recent years and we are anxious about a water shortage in the future. Now, some policies for maintenance of groundwater recharge function have been investigated.
The main theme of this paper is economical evaluation for maintenance of groundwater recharge function. To do this, we estimated WTP for maintenance of this function by using CVM. In the economical evaluation process, I carried out questionnaire survey for residents in Kumamoto City because they will pay the cost of the policy based on the beneficiary payment principle. Consequently, the total WTP was estimated about 3, 260, 400, 000 yen per year by using medium of WTP.

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