大都市近郊における農業水利組織の変容 : 埼玉県見沼土地改良区の場合

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Minuma Land Improvement District (Minuma L.I.D.), Saitama Prefecture, is the agricultural water use organization in charge of Minumadai irrigation canal. The canal, excavated in 1728, has been functionning as the trunk waterway to irrigate more than 12, 000 hectares of farmland. Its length, some 60 kilometers, makes the canal still one of the biggest irrigation facility in present-day Japan. However, as the canals beneficiary area is adjacent to, and partly incorporated into, the rapidly growing suburban area of Tokyo, both the canals function and the organizational structure have undergone a considerable change, which the present paper deals with as its major topic. The second theme is the Minuma L.I.D.s reaction when, in 1962, it was challenged by the administrative bodies for a curtailment of its water intake volume from Tone River. This demand was made to Minuma L.I.D. as a part of the plan of excavation of a new canal running water for drinking purposes and unification of six irrigation canals at intake. Minuma L.I.D., which had the biggest intake volume among the agricultural water use entities, was determined not to agree to the plan unless its traditional water intake volume would be secured. As it was one of the earliest cases where agricultural water rationalization became subject of public discussion, this attitude has since been put under an implicit criticism, i.e., in spite of the social need and decrease of beneficiary farmland, the agricultural water users are reluctant to spare their water out The author examined the budgetary structure of Minuma L.I.D. in the period of the recent 25 years and found the following points: 1) Due to suburbanization, southern (down stream) portion of the beneficiary area of Minumadai canal, for which the canal was originally developed, has been almost completely absorbed within Densely Inhabited District (D.I.D.), where the canal functions now as drainage waterway of residual urban water; 2) Minuma L.I.D. has merged several L.I.D.s whose areas either overlapped with or were adjacent to its own, notably in the north, thus shifting its financial basis from southto north; 3) Financially, Minuma L.I.D. was experiencing a critical period at the time when it was asked to decrease its water intake volume, though the financial situation was remarkably improved afterwards, thanks largely to the money paid by the farmers converting their farmlands to urban land use. The points 1) and 2) mentioned above suggest that the canals historic role has terminated and, more importantly, the area of L.I.D. is not to be regarded as identical with the area of water distribution. The former is essentially an institutional feature, while the latter must be defined from an engineering point of view. The point 3) indicates that financial situation could be a major factor when water rationalization is at stake. As many branch canals of Minumadai canal are maintained and operated by independent L.I.D.s which have no organizational link with Minuma L.I.D., Minuma L.I.D. was not, and still is not, enpowered to represent and manage the whole network of agricultural water distribution of the area. Taking this systemic characteristics and the point 3) above into consideration, the author concludes that the firm attitude adopted by Minuma L.I.D; in regard to the demand of decreasing its water intake volume is not to be attributed to the farmers reluctance to give water away; its organizational situation at the time could provide another explanation. Author acknowledges Gil Latz, editor of “Contemporary and Historical Irrigation in Japan: Selected Terminology and Illustrations”, 1985, Toyota Foundation, for indicating appropriate English terms to be used in this abstract.

大都市近郊における農業水利組織の変容 : 埼玉県見沼土地改良区の場合

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