In the Takao River basin, located in Futsukaichi Ward, Chikushino City in my electorate in Fukuoka Prefecture, many houses had been flooded above floor level by the heavy rains almost every year until 2014 and taking necessary measures to prevent floods had long been a pending issue to the city. When a heavy flooding occurred and caused serious disasters in the city in August 2014, the central and prefectural governments and Chikushino municipal office were determined to take drastic measures to prevent floods in the city in earnest. In 2015, as a special measure to prevent floods in case of emergency, they started to construct a 1-km tunnel under the Takao River, which is called the ‘underground river’, by means of a highly-advanced technology of the shield method. The construction work of the tunnel is scheduled to be completed in a few years. After the completion, I hope all residents living in the Takao River basin will feel relieved without any fear of floods. I am proud of taking part in this important project.
