Over one month has already passed since the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, yet people continue to live in shelters. Problems constructing temporary housing and slow progress in moving evacuees to public housing outside their hometowns are to blame for this situation.
Prolonged life in shelters, where privacy and sanitation problems are rampant, threatens the wellbeing of evacuated residents who are trying to stay healthy and maintain a decent standard of living. The government should demonstrate its resolve to prevent people from having to spend a long time in shelters, and exhaust every possible means to spur the construction of temporary housing.
Some 140,000 people hit by the tsunami and nuclear crisis continue to live in shelters. With nothing more than cardboard barriers to separate families living in gymnasiums, it is impossible to retain privacy, putting strain on evacuees. Furthermore, there are many elderly people at shelters and deterioration in their living environments has aggravated their illnesses, in some cases resulting in death from pneumonia -- an issue of increasing concern.
The government says it plans to construct 70,000 temporary homes, adding the cost to the fiscal budget. But more than one month after the disaster, there has been little progress, with work on fewer than 9,000 homes started. One reason is that it has been difficult to find appropriate sites on high ground that evaded the March 11 disaster. Also hampering efforts is the scarcity of materials.
House of Representatives member Tadayoshi Nagashima, who was mayor of Yamakoshi during the 2004 Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake and oversaw evacuations in the village, has warned that life in shelters should not continue for more than two months. The current pace of temporary housing construction, with just 4,500 homes due to be completed by the first week of next month, is too slow. Government officials must be more aware that this is a battle against time.
The government must cooperate with local bodies and do all it can to secure land, including that in neighboring areas. Using public funds to lease private land is one option. To secure materials, it must also boost production and speed up imports.
After all this, if it is still impossible to construct temporary housing in time, then public housing and accommodation provided by other public bodies should be put to use as soon as possible. Officials must check once more to confirm that shelters are getting the information they need.
One reason people may have remained in shelters in spite of the poor living environment is that they fear their ties with their hometowns will be cut if they move somewhere else. It has been pointed out that people would be more willing to move to other dwellings if targets were set for them to later move into temporary housing in their hometowns -- even if that meant waiting six months. Local bodies should swiftly announce detailed schedules for the construction of temporary homes.
In principle, evacuees are supposed to obtain their own supplies after moving into temporary housing, and their time in temporary housing is limited to two years -- facts that have left them uncertain about their futures.
It is certain that it will take a long time to recover from the tsunami. The government should quickly review such principles.
Click here for the original Japanese story
(Mainichi Japan) April 20, 2011
社説：避難所の長期化 仮設建設を真剣に急げ
東日本大震災で避難した被災者の避難所での生活がすでに１カ月以上を経過、長期化の様相をみせている。仮設住宅建設が難航する一方で、他の自治体の公営住宅などへの移転もなかなか進まないためだ。
プライバシーの維持や衛生上の問題も多い避難所での生活が長引くことは被災者の健康や生活水準を維持するうえで、大きな脅威となる。政府は長期化を防ぐ決意を明確にし、仮設住宅の建設促進などあらゆる手だてを講じるべきである。
津波や原発事故のため、被災者のうち約１４万人は今も避難先で暮らす。体育館などで段ボールを家族の「仕切り」とするような生活ではプライバシーも守られず、精神的につらい。高齢者が多いこともあり、生活環境の悪さから持病が悪化したり肺炎で亡くなるなど震災関連死と呼ばれるケースが深刻化している。
政府は７万戸の仮設住宅の建設を目標としており、上積みする方針。だが、震災から１カ月以上たっても着工は９０００戸に満たず、進捗（しんちょく）ははかばかしくない。被災を免れた高地などを探すため、適地がみつかりにくいためだ。資材が確保しにくいことも追い打ちをかけている。
新潟県中越地震の際に旧山古志村の住民避難に村長としてあたった経験を持つ長島忠美衆院議員は「避難所生活を２カ月以上続けさせてはならない」と指摘する。来月第１週までに仮設住宅約４５００戸完工という現在のペースは遅い。時間との闘いという要素をより強く、意識しなければならない。
政府は自治体と協力し、借り上げ費を公費負担しての民有地利用など、周辺自治体も含めての用地確保に手を尽くすべきだ。資材の調達も増産や輸入を急がねばならない。
それでも仮設の建設が間に合わない場合、他の自治体が提供する公営住宅や宿泊施設などへの２次避難をできるだけ活用すべきだ。避難所に情報が十分に伝わっているか、再点検する必要がある。
劣悪な環境でも住民が避難所を離れないのは、いったんほかの自治体に移れば故郷との結びつきが途絶えてしまう不安からだろう。たとえ半年後であっても、故郷の仮設住宅に戻れる目標がはっきりしていれば、２次避難は進むとの指摘もある。市町村別の詳しい建設スケジュールを早急に示すことが欠かせない。
仮設住宅に入居してからは物資の自力での調達が原則とされることや、通常の入居期間が２年であることが被災者の不安を生む要因にもなっている。今回の津波被災は復旧・復興にかなりの時間を要することは確実だ。こうした原則の見直しも早期に打ち出すべきである。
英訳毎日新聞 2011年4月18日 東京朝刊
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