Water quality and pollution control

This paper charts the decline in the quality of Japan's water resources from about 1955, and the increasingly energetic measures taken to reverse the trend. The standards set by the Basic Law for Environmental Pollution Control are described, and their impact to date is assessed. With respect to human health protection the measures taken have been almost wholly successful, but serious problems of environmental pollution remain, especially in lakes and reservoirs. The main countermeasures against water pollution - effluent control, sewerage and night soil treatment facilities, control of pollutants, steps to arrest eutrophication and prevent groundwater contamination - are described. Finally, the special measures adopted and proposed for lakes and reservoirs are outlined.