October 28, 2016
The group of Japanese Communist Party members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on October 27 held a news conference at the metropolitan office building and revealed that the recently-introduced system to control groundwater at the Toyosu fish market site is not working.
Groundwater at the new market site where a Tokyo Gas factory was previously located is contaminated with mercury, arsenic, cyanides, and the carcinogenic substance benzene. In mid-October, the metropolitan authorities introduced a system to pump up underground water to prevent the soil at the site from being contaminated. The authorities had claimed that the system will keep the level of groundwater to 1.8 meters or less from the bottom.
The JCP metropolitan assemblypersons’ group conducted an on-the-spot investigation on October 26. According to the investigation results, the groundwater level is 3.4 meters on average and exceeds four meters at a highest point even after more than 10 days had passed since the system started operations.
The Tokyo government had explained that the system will launch operations when the level of groundwater in the wells at the site reaches 1.8 meters and that it can pump out 600 cubic meters of water a day. Actually, it draws only 273 cubic meters a day on average.
At the press conference, JCP assembly member Kachi Kayoko said, “The groundwater control program has de facto failed. There is a high likelihood that the fresh soil laid there as part of antipollution measures has already absorbed the polluted groundwater. The metropolitan government should thoroughly investigate the situation.”
Highlighting the need to review the anti-ground pollution measures and the contract with Nihon Suido Consultants Co., the firm which designed the control system, Kachi demanded that the Tokyo government seriously consider the cancellation of its plan to relocate the Tsukiji fish market to the polluted area.
Past related article:
> Another scandal over Toyosu market issue revealed [October 5, 2016]
Groundwater at the new market site where a Tokyo Gas factory was previously located is contaminated with mercury, arsenic, cyanides, and the carcinogenic substance benzene. In mid-October, the metropolitan authorities introduced a system to pump up underground water to prevent the soil at the site from being contaminated. The authorities had claimed that the system will keep the level of groundwater to 1.8 meters or less from the bottom.
The JCP metropolitan assemblypersons’ group conducted an on-the-spot investigation on October 26. According to the investigation results, the groundwater level is 3.4 meters on average and exceeds four meters at a highest point even after more than 10 days had passed since the system started operations.
The Tokyo government had explained that the system will launch operations when the level of groundwater in the wells at the site reaches 1.8 meters and that it can pump out 600 cubic meters of water a day. Actually, it draws only 273 cubic meters a day on average.
At the press conference, JCP assembly member Kachi Kayoko said, “The groundwater control program has de facto failed. There is a high likelihood that the fresh soil laid there as part of antipollution measures has already absorbed the polluted groundwater. The metropolitan government should thoroughly investigate the situation.”
Highlighting the need to review the anti-ground pollution measures and the contract with Nihon Suido Consultants Co., the firm which designed the control system, Kachi demanded that the Tokyo government seriously consider the cancellation of its plan to relocate the Tsukiji fish market to the polluted area.
Past related article:
> Another scandal over Toyosu market issue revealed [October 5, 2016]
