Photo/Illutration Norio Owa shows a pen sold in Afghanistan bearing the name of Tetsu Nakamura on Oct. 27 in Fukuoka’s Chuo Ward. (Yusuke Ogawa)

A retired Japanese engineer has traveled to Afghanistan to help revive and continue the humanitarian work of Tetsu Nakamura, a doctor from Fukuoka Prefecture who was killed four years ago.

Nakamura was known for his efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, turning barren land into lush fields while treating locals suffering from conflict, poverty and disease.

His land hydration project in Afghanistan was nearly halted following his death in an ambush on Dec. 4, 2019, at age 73.

But Norio Owa, 73, and others have continued Nakamura’s project of supplying water and restoring greenery to arid areas of Afghanistan.

“We will be sharing and making full use of our experiences and know-how with local specialists, though we are no comparison to Dr. Nakamura in terms of ability to act and love others,” Owa said.

In September, Owa arrived at the construction site of an irrigation canal in eastern Afghanistan, where a 4.3-kilometer-long water conduit was being set up on a mountain slope.

For nearly four years, Owa has been an engineering member of Peshawar-kai, a Fukuoka-based nongovernmental group. 

Nakamura had headed the group’s local operation in Afghanistan.

Owa had lively discussions with local staff members in the country over the large-scale project.

“Staffers make quick decisions, much to my delight,” he said.

In June 2019, when Owa was an executive of a construction consultant company, he was “profoundly moved” when he heard Nakamura give a speech for the first time.

Owa was astonished not only by Nakamura’s sense of alarm about torrential rains, droughts and other conditions produced by climate change, but also his well-designed procurement and construction methods that allow residents to create and repair facilities on their own.

“I couldn’t believe (Nakamura) designed such a huge project all by himself,” Owa said.

He wanted to offer his help to Nakamura after retirement, but the humanitarian doctor was killed in Afghanistan before Owa could meet him.

So Owa began volunteering for Peshawar-kai activities.

Peshawar-kai is financed by membership fees and donations. Around 100 Afghans at Peshawar-kai’s regional affiliate, Peace Japan Medical Services (PMS), engage in medical support, irrigation and agriculture in Afghanistan.

The irrigation project nearly stalled after the death of Nakamura, who had led all procedures, from surveys and designing to installation and management.

A technical support team comprising Owa and several other Japanese specialists arrived at the site to lend a helping hand.

Owa was surprised to find that Nakamura, who studied irrigation technology by himself, had developed such reliable methods for irrigation through his tours of construction sites in various regions.

After seeing Afghan children die during a drought in 2000, Nakamura announced the “green ground initiative” in 2002.

He started a project to supply water from a major river the following year. Nakamura also said the “water channels will take my place” at some point.

Through trial and error, Nakamura developed the “PMS method” that combines Afghanistan’s traditional building technology with skills that were used during the Edo Period (1603-1867) to construct the Yamada weir along the Chikugogawa river in what is currently Fukuoka Prefecture’s Asakura.

The method follows six principles, such as reducing costs, using readily available materials, and creating facilities that residents can easily fix.

For example, iron wire baskets filled with stones were used for shore protection under the gabion technique.

The PMS method has helped to turn 23,800 hectares of desert, about the size of 5,000 Tokyo Domes, into agricultural fields.

Working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Peshawar-kai in 2021 released guidelines for the PMS method.

With an eye toward promoting the technique across Afghanistan, JICA signed a grant aid contract worth 1.3 billion yen ($8.8 million) with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in August this year.

Related News