Water Supply System Rooted in Culture and Climate for Earthquake Fires.
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Accession number;99A0772185
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| Title;Water Supply System Rooted in Culture and Climate for Earthquake Fires. |
| Author;
KOBAYASHI MASAMI
(Kyoto Univ., Grad. Sch.)
NISHIMURA SUNAO
(Kyoto Univ., Grad. Sch.)
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Journal Title;Journal of the Seismological Society of Japan. Second Series
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Journal Code:G0931A
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ISSN:0037-1114
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VOL.52;NO.1;PAGE.199-212(1999)
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| Figure&Table&Reference;FIG.12, TBL.3, REF.13 |
| Pub. Country;Japan |
| Language;Japanese |
| Abstract;It is not only the direct damage but also the secondary damage of fire which spreads entirely over the city, that city suffers from when an earthquake occurs. Not only did the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake destroyed the quake-resistant structure, but caused a large amount of fire at the same time, especially firing the wooden-made housing areas for 10 days. It made it clear how weak the present city is against an earthquake. One of the most important problems is the shortage of extinguishing water. The available water in place of the hydrants being out of service was in short supply at the areas and that was the reason why the fire spread out largely to combustible wooden houses. This means the fire extinguishing system was heavily dependent upon hydrants. In order to avoid such situation, it is important to provide some stand-by systems in addition to the ordinary system. We have to prepare the systems which minimize the damage if fires should break out by an earthquake. Such system is based on the concept of "fail-safe". The water supply system in San Francisco is a typical safety system that consists of three backup systems, AWSS, Cisterns and PWSS. Against the fires after Loma Prieta Earthquake occurred in October 17, 1989, PWSS effectively functioned while the other systems were out of operation by the damages. On the other hand, in Japan, channel water is used as water supply system for fire prevention in Shirakawa-go and Gujohachiman. Channels form the basis of towns and support residents' daily lives while they are made the best use of as water supply system for extinguishing fire. This kind of nearly based water is effective when an unexpected disaster occurs. Most of the Japanese houses have been made of wood because wooden houses are suitable for Japanese climate. That is, many regions are at risk of big fire when big earthquake occurs. However, our country abounds in natural water, which is conveyed to our living spaces through channels... (author abst.) |
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