今日のテキストは、The Japan Tims ジャパンタイムズ掲載の記事「高額な日本の公共水道についての考察」*1から抜粋します。
原文はこちらから読めます。
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
Examining the high price of Japan's water systems
この記事はCONTRIBUTING WRITERのPHILIP BRASOR氏と MASAKO TSUBUKU氏によって書かれたものです。
１ あらすじ
土地を購入し家を建てて暮らすためには「水」の確保は必須です。
筆者はこの「水」の確保に奔走した自らの体験をもとに、日本の水事情についての情報提供や考察を行なっています。
具体的には、行政関係者、水道事業者、不動産関係者などとの水道管敷設に関する届け出や費用などに関する照会ややりとりの紹介。また、日本や外国における水道にまつわる様々なテーマ（需要減少、水道料金、使用料、節水効果や方法、維持管理費、ダム建設の是非等）のほか、コンセッション方式と呼ばれる民間企業の水道事業への参入を可能とする水道法改正のことも伝えています。
また、日本でペットボトル水の製造や輸入量が増え続ける現状や、そのことが環境に与えている影響についても触れ、筆者自身は日常の使用に公共水道に代わって地下水を利用していることについても述べています。
最後では、水を利用する際には懸命な判断と行動が必要であるという意見を述べて締めくくっています。 *2
２ 本文
記事本文を以下の段落に分けて、順番に見ていきましょう。
第１段落
When we were negotiating for the purchase of a piece of land, the realtor told us that the lot we were interested in had no access to public waterworks, which meant we would have to dig a well. At first, this aspect seemed like a demerit, since hiring a company to dig the well would cost more than ¥400,000 plus administrative fees.
サブテーマ：井戸水は公共水道よりも高くつく？
the realtor 不動産業者
had no access to public waterworks 公共水道が整備されていない
would have to （仮定法）〜することになる
seem like ~ 〜のように思える
demerit デメリット
administrative fees 手続き費用や諸経費などその他の必要経費
第２段落
But we later discovered that buyers of properties in a housing development about a kilometer west of us who did have access to public waterworks had to pay an initial contract fee of ¥200,000 to ¥300,000 just to have their plumbing turned on.
サブテーマ：公共水道使用に必要なコスト
properties 宅地としての不動産物件
a housing development 宅地開発
pay an initial contract fee 当初契約金を支払う
have plumbing turned on 水道管を配管する
第３段落
And, of course, thereafter they would be receiving bimonthly bills charging them for water usage. We, on the other hand, have not had any more water-related expenses since digging our well, so it turned out to be a good move from an economic standpoint.
サブテーマ：公共水道は利用料金も必要（井戸水なら無料）
bimonthly bills 隔月で届く請求書
water usage 水道使用
turn out to be 結局〜ということ（結果など）になる
from an economic standpoint 経済的な見地から
第４段落
In Chiba Prefecture, where we live, only 4.8 percent of the population lacks access to the public water system, according to the health ministry. With a penetration rate of nearly 98 percent, Japan is a world leader when it comes to waterworks, which is a good thing because from now on there will be less economic incentive to increase penetration due to declining population numbers, successfully promoted water-saving measures and the high cost of waterworks construction and maintenance.
サブテーマ：人口減少、節水効果、維持管理費の高騰の影響
lack access to the public water system 公共水道に接続されていない
a penetration rate （公共水道接続の）普及率
when it comes to 〜に関しては、〜については
declining population numbers 減少していく人口
successfully promoted 効果的に啓発がなされている
water-saving measures 節水方法
construction and maintenance （水道管敷設）工事と維持管理
第５段落
After we moved in we called the municipal waterworks operators that service neighborhoods in surrounding areas. All told us there was no plan to extend pipes into our neighborhood, and there never will be. There just weren’t enough potential customers where we lived to make it economically worthwhile.
サブテーマ：水道管敷設計画と費用対効果
moved in 引っ越す
service（V） （公共水道サービスを）提供する
extend pipes 水道管を延長して埋設する
in one's neighborhood ご近所で
potential customers 潜在顧客
make it economically worthwhile ＜直訳＞経済的に価値あるものとする ＜意訳＞費用対効果が得られる
第６段落
Local governments operate waterworks, and according to a feature in the June 4, 2018, issue of the business magazine Toyo Keizai, many can no longer manage the cost of distribution using only funds derived from user fees.
サブテーマ：水道供給のためのコストは利用料だけでは賄えない
a feature 特集記事
the June 4, 2018 issue 2018年6月4日発行の
derived from 〜から得られる
第７段落
The main problem is maintenance, which is becoming more expensive as systems age. Typically, the lifespan of a pipe is 40 years, and as of 2015, 13.6 percent of the pipes in Japan were older than that. Given that the number of outdated pipes has doubled in the previous 10 years while revenues from user fees had dropped by ¥200 billion, according to the magazine, it is clear that maintenance will become more of a problem for public utilities from now on. Many municipalities, in fact, have to tap their general account budget for funds to fix aging waterworks.
サブテーマ：維持管理に多大なコストがかかる
age (v) 年数が経過する
lifespan 耐用年数
given that 〜だとすると
double (v) ２倍になる
in the previous 10 years 直近の１０年間で
revenues 歳入
it is clear that 〜は明らかである
become more of a problem for より一層問題となる
public utilities （電力、ガス、水道などの）公益事業
municipalities 地方自治体
tap 積み立てる
the general account budget 一般財源予算
funds 基金
the aging waterworks 老朽化（経年劣化）する水道施設
第８段落
But infrastructure maintenance is just one burden placed on public waterworks. There are also legacy costs. Many water systems in the country rely on dams that municipalities are still paying off. In the end, users shoulder this debt.
サブテーマ：ダム建設費用を負担する自治体（とその納税者）
infrastructure maintenance 社会基盤施設の維持管理
legacy costs 遺物の管理に要する費用
rely on 〜に頼る、依存する
pay off 支払う、支出する
in the end 結局
shoulder 負担する
第９段落
Also, dams ostensibly assure there is a water supply by storing it in reservoirs, a means of provision that requires chemical treatment and filtration, adding to the cost. Dams and reservoirs also need to be maintained. Consequently, some consumers believe dam construction is an unnecessary burden. Residents in Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture have sued the central government over their opposition to the construction of a new dam at a time when demand for water is decreasing.
サブテーマ：ダム建設に関する賛否
ostensibly 表面的に、表向きに
reservoirs 貯水池
dam ダム
provision 用意、準備
chemical treatment 科学薬品を使用した措置
filtration 濾過
cosequently 結果として（＝as a result）
第１０段落
These reasons and others are why the central government recently approved an amendment to the Water Supply Act that will allow private contractors to enter the public waterworks field on a concession basis, the idea being that private companies are better equipped to address the changing financial nature of the sector.
サブテーマ：民間事業者の参入を認める水道法改正について
an amendment to 〜の改訂版、または、改正したもの
the Water Supply Act 水道法
concession （一般的には）譲歩、容認
（本文中の意味）政府が特別に民間企業に水道敷設権を与える特権
be equipped to （能力や技術、ノウハウなどが）備わっている
address 取り組む
第１１段落
For instance, according to Toyo Keizai, the loss of water due to pipe leakage is only 5 percent nationwide, lower than it is in most advanced countries, but it costs a lot to keep it that low. It is easier for private concerns to rationalize rate hikes to meet maintenance demands. However, as one water agent told Toyo Keizai, basing a business only on user fees will not cover rising costs in the long run, adding that if the local government takes care of maintenance, it could work out.
サブテーマ：今後は民間＋行政による取り組みが望まれる？
pipe leakage （水道管から生じる）漏水
nationwide 国内全体で
rationalize 正当化する
rate hikes 利用料の上昇
in the long run 長い目でみて
work out うまくいく
第１２段落
But as one expert told the magazine, the discussions shouldn’t be about who operates the waterworks but rather what price would be acceptable. According to the Development Bank of Japan, 60 percent of local governments will need to increase rates by an average of 60 percent by fiscal 2046 compared to those in fiscal 2014. Most likely wages are not going to increase at the same rate, so it’s logical to imagine consumers trying to cut back even more on water usage.
サブテーマ：問題は誰が行うかではなく、どれくらい負担できるか
the Development Bank of Japan 日本政策投資銀行
most likely ほぼ明らかなように
at the same rate 同じような（上昇）率で
it is logical to imagine 〜のように想像するのは理にかなっている
cut back 減らす、節約する
第１３段落
For reference, the average single-person household in Tokyo in fiscal 2016 paid ¥3,209 a month for 8.2 cubic meters of water, according to statistics attributed to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Kirimoru.com, a website on how to save money. Water rates vary greatly from one municipality to another — in fiscal 2016 the town of Naganohara in Gunma Prefecture charged almost 10 times what the city of Ako, Hyogo Prefecture, charged for 10 cubic meters of water.
サブテーマ：自治体間の水道料金格差
for reference 参考として
single-person household 一人暮らし家庭
cubic meters of water 立方メートル
the Tokyo Metropolitan Government 東京都庁
attributed to 〜に出所のある
第１４段落
Conservation is an ongoing endeavor, and the biggest use of water in a Japanese household is for bathing — a daily routine for many. However, baths do have an advantage over showers in terms of saving money. Because the individual washes their body outside the tub, a whole family can use the same water on a given evening. Also, bath water can have secondary uses for laundry, watering plants and even washing the car. Though showering uses less water per session, none of that water is saved. One minute of showering uses 12 liters of water, and in Tokyo a 10-minute shower costs about ¥29, according to the website. That’s almost ¥900 a month for a daily shower.
サブテーマ：風呂水
conservation 保護、保全（そのための活動）
ongoing 現在進行中の
endeavor 真剣な努力
bathing 入浴
in terms of 〜に関して
secondary uses ２次的な活用
watering plants 花木や植木へ水をやる
第１５段落
Water for drinking and cooking is a more difficult matter to analyze.
The increasing global trade in bottled water over the past three decades has prompted backlash for various reasons.
サブテーマ：飲料水
global trade 世界貿易
prompted 促される、誘発される
backlash 反発、反動、巻き返しの運動
第１６段落
The transportation and packaging of potable water has lead to all sorts of environmental problems — an overabundance of plastic, fuel expended to move water from one place to another and private companies monopolizing local watersheds and aquifers.
サブテーマ：ペットボトル水の運搬や包装が生む環境問題
transportation 輸送
packaging 包装
overabundance 過剰状態
expend 消費する
monopolize 独占する
watershed 分水界、分水嶺
aquifers 帯水層（地下水が溜まっている層）
第１７段落
In Japan, which is blessed with an abundance of water sources and rainfall, production of bottled water has increased from 87,000 kiloliters in 1982 to 3.25 million kiloliters in 2017, according to the Mineral Water Association of Japan. At the same time, imports of bottled water have gone from 163 kiloliters in 1982 to 339,517 kiloliters in 2017.
サブテーマ：増え続けるペットボトル水
be blessed with 〜の恩恵を受ける
abundance 豊富であること
imports 輸入
第１８段落
Environmentalists urge consumers to stick to tap water, meaning locally accessed water, for their drinking and cooking needs rather than bottled water.
サブテーマ：環境保護の観点からは水道水の利用を推奨
environmentalist 環境保護活動家
consumer 消費者
tap water 水道水
第１９段落
Because our household water comes from 60 meters below our property, it’s mineral water. As a result, what comes out of our faucet has a distinct odor and we have to clean the grit out of our shower heads once in a while.
サブテーマ：地下水の利用
faucet 水道の蛇口
distinct 明確な、明らかな
odor 臭い、臭気
grit 砂
once in a while たまには
第２０段落
Local authorities have tested our water and deem it to be safe to drink without a filter, but there’s no telling what that kind of water can do to your kidneys over time, so for drinking and cooking we fill tanks with filtered water offered by any of three supermarkets in our vicinity.
サブテーマ：地下水の水質
local authorities （自分が住んでいる地域の）行政機関
deem it to be 〜であると判断する
there is no telling 〜かどうかはわからない
in one's vicinity 近所に
第２１段落
Though it’s free, because of the time and labor involved, we don’t waste a drop of it. We keep commercially bottled water for emergencies, but we survive just fine without the public water system.
サブテーマ：公共水道に代わる地下水の利用
the public water system 公共水道
第２２段落
When water availability is a function of capitalist prerogative rather than basic human need, you get by the best way you can.
サブテーマ：水利用には懸命さが必要
a function of capitalist prerogative 資本家に特権として与えられた機能や役割
３ まとめ
今回取り上げた課題は、
The Japan Times - News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More
の記事を引用いたしました。
人は水がないと生きていくことはできません。日本に住んでいると蛇口をひねると透明で綺麗な水道水が出てくるのが当たり前ですし、そのまま飲んでもお腹をこわすことも、病気になることもないものだと普通に考えられています。
世界には、いまだに水道水を飲むのを推奨せず、沸かしたお湯かペットボトルの水を買って飲まなければならない国もまだまだあります。
日本にいてさえ、健康や美容に関心のある国民の中には水道水ではなくコンビニやスーパーでお金を払ってより良質の水を求める人たちも大勢います。
公共水道を整備するためのインフラ経費、維持管理にかかる費用（＝納税者が納める税金）、環境に与える影響などの情報も興味深いものでした。
このように安心、安全な水をテーマにした今回の記事は、私たちにとって当たり前の水道水を取り巻く現状について考える良い機会を与えてくれると同時に、賢く水と付き合っていくための為になる内容であったと思います。
（了）
