The removal of unusable electric appliances and furniture from destroyed houses continues in wide areas of the Noto Peninsula that were devastated by the catastrophic earthquake on Jan. 1.

The demolition and removal of buildings are expected to begin in earnest in March. Delays in these tasks could hinder the reconstruction of the lives of disaster victims and the recovery and rebuilding of the affected communities.

It is urgent to establish a system to tackle a raft of challenges involved in the complicated and cumbersome process of removing and disposing of disaster debris, including the need to use waste disposal facilities in wide areas around the nation.

These challenges require the well-coordinated cooperation of the national and local governments and between the public and private sectors.

Ishikawa Prefecture, where the damage from the Noto Peninsula earthquake was concentrated, has estimated the total amount of disaster waste generated in the prefecture along the Sea of Japan to be more than 2.4 million tons, equivalent to seven years' worth of waste in normal times.

The situation is particularly serious in the so-called Okunoto region, or deeper parts of the peninsula protruding into the Sea of Japan, encompassing the cities of Suzu and Wajima, with a combined total for the region’s four municipalities expected to reach the equivalent of 59 years' worth of waste.

Initially, disaster waste is collected at temporary storage sites set up by the affected municipalities. After sorting, materials such as scrap metal and concrete rubble are sold, reused or repurposed, and the rest is disposed of through incineration or landfill.

In the powerful earthquakes that hit a large swath of Kumamoto Prefecture eight years ago, 3.11 million tons of waste were generated, nearly one-sixth of which was processed outside the prefecture, taking two years to complete the process.

The Ishikawa prefectural government has set a target of finishing dealing with all the earthquake waste by the end of fiscal 2025, which runs through March 2026, and is asking for nationwide cooperation.

Transporting waste out of the prefecture by ship is also being considered. The national government must quickly coordinate to expand the circle of support, focusing on neighboring prefectures.

There are also numerous issues related to hauling waste to temporary storage sites.

In the Noto region, these sites have been gradually opened since mid-January, and clean-up and waste disposal from houses that escaped collapse are under way.

As the demolition and removal of difficult-to-repair houses begin, a rapid increase in the amount of waste and a shortage of temporary storage sites will pose formidable challenges.

A shortage of land is a tricky problem that has also been hampering the construction of temporary housing. Disaster debris management will only compound the challenge of addressing the problem.

Employees of local governments across the nation that have experienced dealing with the aftermath of major natural disasters have come to help the Noto Peninsula municipalities struck by the crippling quake.

These disaster relief and support personnel need to help the battered cities and towns develop effective plans for debris management, drawing on their experiences, including measures for thorough separation and recycling to reduce the amount.

In particular, there are many households in the Okunoto region, where a large portion of the populace is advanced in age, that lack enough manpower to carry out the work.

This is where volunteers are hoped to fill the gap. Cleanup work also involves finding mementos and belongings of lost family members, which provides opportunities for mental care and support for the victims.

Volunteers are being dispatched by bus from the city of Kanazawa, the prefectural capital, which has emerged largely unscathed and has many lodging facilities, but participation is limited to a small portion of those registered with the prefecture.

Efforts should be stepped up to increase participation, taking into account the restoration status of roads and railways.

The demolition and removal of severely damaged houses will have to wait until after the issuance of a disaster victim certificate.

These official documents are issued by the municipalities involved upon the applications from the house owners, but on-site surveys are necessary to do the paperwork, and here too, there is a shortage of personnel.

Efforts to further increase the number of support staff from other local administrations should continue steadily and vigorously.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 8