Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture was once notorious for its smog. Throughout the 1960s and the early 1970s, the City was badly polluted by sulfur dioxide from its huge oil and petrochemical manufacturing complex.
In 1976, the City achieved the clean-air requirements on sulfur dioxide and by 1987, it was clean enough to be designated by the Environment Agency as a City where "the starry heavens could be seen". After arduous technological and administrative battles, the Yokkaichi Pollution Control Board was able to implement a successful pollution control project integrating environment and development.
Yokkaichi transferred its know-how to other cities with similar needs. In 1990, it became the host of the International Centre for Environmental Technology Transfer - which reaches out to developing nations and trained 345 overseas experts from 26 countries.
Yokkaichi City pioneered public medical care programmes to assist patients with pollution-related respiratory diseases, an initiative which led to the enactment of the 1973 Pollution Related Compensation Law. Two green buffer zones have been developed and 340 billion Yen have been spent on environmentally sound measures.
Updated By: Mary Ann Maybaum
Last Updated: 12/26/2003 1:53:00 PM |
