Sabo Projects and Our Approach

The Sukawa River Sabo Project

The Sukawa River has its sources in Mt. Issaikyo (elevation 1,949 m), Mt. Azuma-kofuji (elevation 1,705 m) and others of the Ou Mountains. The river rapidly runs through the area of Nuruyu Onsen and Takayu Onsen, merges with three branches, the Amadogawa River, the Shirotsugawa River, and the Kajiyagawa River, creating alluvial fan downstream, and finally merges with the Arakawa River in the west of Fukushima.

The sabo project in the Sukawa River was launched in 1932 by Fukushima Prefecture as part of the engineering work on the mountainside, and later in 1977 the area was designated under direct control of the government of Japan. In 1941, three sabo dams were completed in the Kajiyagawa River, two each in the Fudosawa River, the Ubatakizawa River, and the Shiratsugawa River, and one each in the Mizusawa River, the Amadogawa River, and the Kamitakayu-sawa River; total 12 sabo dams were completed.

The first Sukawa sabo dam protects the lower lands from disasters by preventing debris from flowing downstream. When Mt. Azuma becomes active and erupts during winter with heavy snow, a mudslide, containing debris and snow melted by erupted materials, is expected to occur. There is some possibility that the expected mudslide flows through the Sukawa River, hence everything must be prepared for the worst.