A Case Study of Aichi Irrigation Project Integrated River Development and Regional Response.

Research Project

Project/Area Number	07680176
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Human geography
Research Institution	Aichi-Gakuin University
Principal Investigator	SIRAI Yoshihiko Aichi Gakuin University Professor, 教養部, 教授 (80003755)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	MINAMINO Takeshi Hyogo University of Teacher Education Assistant Professor, 学校教育学部, 助手 (20273815)
Project Period (FY)	1995 – 1996
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1996)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000) Fiscal Year 1996: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000) Fiscal Year 1995: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Keywords	irrigation project / questionnaire research / water management system / land use / farm pond / social tension / habitual water use / paddy field / 水利権 / 節水対策 / 社会的緊張 / 集約的土地利用 / パイプライン化 / 水稲の集団栽培方式 / ロ-テーション・ブロック / 役水灌漑 / 番水 / 兼業農家 / ファームポンド
Research Abstract	The Aichi Irrigation Project started with a challenge. The project authority (Aichi Yousui Kodan) had to figure out ways to create a water right without affecting other already existing water rights and water use : hydro-electric, irrigation, industrial and domestic. For this reason, the amount of water drown from the Kiso river was strictly limited (to 30m^3/s). It is certain that this condition influences the water management of the area, benefited from the Aichi Irrigation Project. (1) In this study, I conducted a questionnaire research to find out how the water management districts (105 districts in total) as the part of the water distribution system responded to the drought of the Kiso river. As results, I have concluded the followings : (1) Functional level of the water management system affects how each distric responded to the drought situation. (2) farm ponds were highly effective in dealing with the drought especially in districts located on the lower Aichi Irrigation Canal. (2) The Aichi Irrigation Project was began by creating Miyoshi farm pond in the center of the area that would bring a big benefit from the project. I conducted a case study on Araya settlement of miyoshi town, located near the source of water for the pond in order to find out influenced of the Aichi Irrigation Project for 35 years since its opening. As results, I have concluded the followings : (1) Creation of Miyoshi farm pond lead to the abolition of habitual water use and eliminated a social tension between the upper and the lower of Miyoshi farm pond areas : (2) The land use changed from extensive (wheat, sweet potatoes, etc.) to intensive (horticulture etc.), and farm mechanization has progressed : (3) In Araya water management district, a producer's association established a group plant system of paddy field, and they survived through the 1994 drought by setting up two well-tube pumps.