Katsurao Village contamination map

Katsurao Village: its whereabouts and evacuation/return policy history

In June 2016, the evacuation order applied to Katsurao village after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear accident was lifted for 80% of its territory. The northeast part of the village in the vicinity of Namie town is still classed as a  »difficult-to-return » zone, where the annual airborne radiation dose is over 20mSv. The lifting of the evacuation order of this area is not planned.

葛尾村は、2016年6月に80パーセント以上の地域で避難指示が解除になりました。浪江町と隣接する村の北東部に、年間被ばく量が20ミリSvを超えると推計される帰還困難区域が残りますが、解除の予定はありません。

In June 2018, approximately 300 people are living in the village, which is about 20% of the population before the accident. In April 2018, primary and junior high schools opened where 18 children are currently studying, whereas in 2010, before the accident, 112 children were attending schools.

2018年6月現在の居住者は300人ほどで、事故前の20パーセント程度です。2018年4月には、小中学校が村内で再開され、合計18名が通学しています。事故前（2010年）は、112名でした。

The village is covered by hilly forests as you can see in the Google Earth below.

グーグルアースの地図で見れるように、葛尾は緑豊かな山村です。

Katsurao village contamination map　葛尾村土壌汚染マップ

Since last year, Fukuichi (Fukushima Daiichi) Area Environmental Radiation Monitoring Project Team has been measuring contamination in Namie Town, Tomioka Town and in a part of Okuma Town (the-not-permitted-to-live zone). Compared to these areas, the radio-contamination of Katsurao village is relatively low. However, the soil contamination is still well above 185000Bq/m2, the value over which Chernobyl law grants the inhabitants the right to evacuate. Allowing, or more exactly forcing the population to live in such highly contaminated areas by cutting public aid and therefore depriving the financial means for evacuees to live outside of the contaminated area is a strong violation of human rights. (See the article in Beyond Nuclear International:  Fukushima mothers at UN tell their story).

チームは昨年から、浪江町･富岡町･大熊町の1部（居住制限区域）とモニタリングをおこなってきましたが、それと比較すると放射能汚染の程度は低いと感じられます。それでも、土壌汚染密度の平均は、チェルノブイリ法の「移住の権利」基準（185,000Bq/㎡）を大きく超えています。このような高度汚染地域の避難指示を解除し、公的支援を打ち切り、汚染地域の外で生活することが経済的に困難な状況を作り出すことで人々を帰還させるのは基本的人権の侵害に他なりません。（Beyond Nuclear Internationalの以下の記事をご参照ください。 Fukushima mothers at UN tell their story）

Project team at work　モニタリングチームの作業

As we can see in the pictures, the team members are elderly or relatively elderly, therefore less radio-sensitive than younger people. They have volunteered to enter in highly contaminated areas to do the measuring work since neither central nor local governments are willing to carry out such work. We thank them greatly for their help and devotion.

写真を見て分かるように、チームのメンバーは中高年者の方々で、若い年齢層に比べると放射線被ばくに対する脆弱性が比較的低くなります。本来ならば政府や地方自治体が実施しなければならない土壌汚染調査のため、高度汚染地域にボランティアとして入って計測してくださっています。彼らの助力と献身に深謝を捧げます。

The appearance of the temporary depositories of radioactive soil from the decontamination efforts is different. In Minamisoma or in Namie, they are surrounded by 2m high fences, whereas those of Katsurao village are covered by dark green sheeting without conspicuous fencing. As one of the monitoring team members says sarcastically,  »they melt perfectly in their natural environment. »

南相馬市や浪江町の除染土仮置き場は、約2ｍの塀で囲まれていますが、葛尾村の仮置き場は濃いグリーンのシートで覆われているだけです。「葛尾村の仮置き場は、すっかり自然に馴染んでいるな～」と、皮肉を込めた言葉がメンバーの口から漏れました。

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Text by Fukuichi Area Environmental Radiation Monitoring Project & Kurumi Sugita
テキスト: ふくいち周辺環境放射線モニタリング・プロジェクト&杉田くるみ

See also in this blog:
Contamination map of Minamisoma
Contamination map of Namie town
Contamination map of Tomioka town

このブログの他の土壌汚染マップもご覧ください。
Contamination map of Minamisoma
Contamination map of Namie town
Contamination map of Tomioka town