Damage to sewage systems caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and governmental policy

The Great East Japan Earthquake and its accompanying liquefaction and tsunami severely damaged many sewage systems including sewage pipes, manholes, pumping stations and sewage treatment plants over a wide area from Tohoku to the Kanto region. We conducted a questionnaire survey, interview survey and on-site confirmation in order to summarize and categorize the damage factors that shut down facilities such as drainage systems and treatment systems. We also studied the effectiveness of countermeasures to prevent liquefaction of the sewage system. The results showed that 90% of sewage pipes and 70% of manholes were damaged by liquefaction and that 54% of wastewater treatment plants and 75% of pumping stations were damaged by tsunami. Nevertheless, no severe damage was found along sewage pipe sections where liquefaction countermeasures had been executed, suggesting that the countermeasures are effective.