10.Water Works for the Future
Waterworks in Japan has entered an age in the circumstances
with high coverage of population served and the percentage of the population
served was exceeded 96 per cent. It has become the infrastructure facility
that must meet needs of the people by keeping the high level of our lives
and social activities. On a brief review of social situation for water supply,
water conservation of a large amount consumer for business enterprise, effective
utilization of rainwater harvesting and reclaimed water have brought with
it a decreasing for water demand of industrial usage. Uplifting of water saving
awareness and reuse for laundry of bath water have also reached at the top
of water usage per person. Moreover, the population of Japan will reach a
peak in 2006 and the number of population decrease will be more than 20 millions
of people in 50 years hence. Under this big transition period for relation
of water demand, so it is also needed the big investment by facility renewal
period of the expansion period for water supply.
Meanwhile, all water utilities are managing in order to contribute the high
level requirement of quality of water to be supplied including measures against
trace chemical substances such as pesticides; measures against the THMs; that
is, it is one of the disinfection by-products; measures against Cryptosporidium,
pathogenic microorganisms, which has resistance to chlorine disinfection in
tap water; for water utility it will likely be more in requirement for activities
of the preservation of water resource quality for water in a supply, as well
as introduction of the advanced water treatment facilities. Also ensuring
a stable supply for water in a natural disaster, including the earthquakes
and droughts, we have to concentrate our efforts into preparing countermeasures,
strength of anti-seismic measures or emergency water supply system, that can
be quickly implemented when such disasters struck.
So it is needed to put into practice with certainly at the present stage of
decreasing for the number of users and water demand from the quantitative
index of coverage of population or water consumption to qualitative index
of safety, stability, and earthquake proof as evaluation axis. The development
of these projects is very difficult to be evaluated in ordinary, but we can
say it is highly evaluated for water supply in case of emergency. Water utility
is furnished with payment of users as one of public utilities. And the efficiency
and transparency of water business are almost inevitable to promote a better
understanding of the users for carrying forward such a plan.
The incoming waterworks will be highly important as one water utilities and
users with the aim of ensuring a safer and high reliability of water supply
so that everyone can feel to secure using drinking water anytime, anywhere.