Makoto MURASE

Issue / Water Management in Tokyo

Water has become a major issue in many places around the world, especially in large cities. Managers of major urban centres are faced with both water shortages and wastewater management challenges, and must find ways of providing adequate water supplies to their residents while ensuring that the resource will remain available for future generations.

The island country of Japan is often subject to natural disasters such as tropical storms, earthquakes, torrential rains and cyclones. In the urban centres, where concrete and paving keeps rainwater runoff from being absorbed naturally, managing water has become a serious issue. In the heart of Tokyo, the most populous city on the planet, an ambitious rainwater recycling system has been installed to avoid catastrophe.