For the past nearly a week it has been raining quite heavily in some parts of Western Japan, particularly in the three Prefectures out of seven in Kyushu Island. Many roads have been cut by the landslides caused by the heavy rain. Some river banks have been breached. Thousands of people have been either ordered or advised to leave their homes to safer shelters, which are usually public buildings.
So far it is more or less a normal affair. But this time, as the meteorological stations have announced, the quantity, and if I may add the duration as well, of the rain is unprecedented.
On the average, the annual precipitation in those three Prefectures in the Central-northern Kyushu is from 1,600 to 2,000 mm, of which about 40% falls in June and July. So these two months is a rainy season, but not in the same sense that the word is understood in many other countries on earth. The total rain is fairly well distributed throughout the year, and the two months' rain also covers the two months very well. The rice cultivation needs a lot of rain in this time, as the transplantation is over and the crop is in the growing period.
But in the past week or so, we have often heard that it rained as much as 80mm/hour in many places, and at 110mm at least on one occasion. You cannot see ahead, the umbrella will not hold, and what is worse, the water level in rivers will rise rapidly up to the danger point and more in no time.
Some eye-witnesses have talked of the standing trees moving toward them at a great speed. They are not talking of "Macbeth". They are telling us that the landslide no longer takes place in the barren land, unprotected by the plant, but it involves the land and the plant together. Here we may have to look into the nature of the forest in this country to see whether the plant is of such a type as to get well-rooted. But that apart, we can quickly come to the conclusion that our forest land has become very vulnerable.
Researchers are telling us that the basic cause of the series of these accidents is the increased water in the air because of global warming, which needs an outlet. The warming is not simply a problem for the residents of small islands, but unmistakably ours also.
So far it is more or less a normal affair. But this time, as the meteorological stations have announced, the quantity, and if I may add the duration as well, of the rain is unprecedented.
On the average, the annual precipitation in those three Prefectures in the Central-northern Kyushu is from 1,600 to 2,000 mm, of which about 40% falls in June and July. So these two months is a rainy season, but not in the same sense that the word is understood in many other countries on earth. The total rain is fairly well distributed throughout the year, and the two months' rain also covers the two months very well. The rice cultivation needs a lot of rain in this time, as the transplantation is over and the crop is in the growing period.
But in the past week or so, we have often heard that it rained as much as 80mm/hour in many places, and at 110mm at least on one occasion. You cannot see ahead, the umbrella will not hold, and what is worse, the water level in rivers will rise rapidly up to the danger point and more in no time.
Some eye-witnesses have talked of the standing trees moving toward them at a great speed. They are not talking of "Macbeth". They are telling us that the landslide no longer takes place in the barren land, unprotected by the plant, but it involves the land and the plant together. Here we may have to look into the nature of the forest in this country to see whether the plant is of such a type as to get well-rooted. But that apart, we can quickly come to the conclusion that our forest land has become very vulnerable.
Researchers are telling us that the basic cause of the series of these accidents is the increased water in the air because of global warming, which needs an outlet. The warming is not simply a problem for the residents of small islands, but unmistakably ours also.
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