Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism will take the initiative in establishment of an international standard for storm water management. The experts group of International Standards Organization, ISO will launch in Austria on April 13, which Japan will chair. The ministry aims to develop the standard in favor of Japanese construction companies which possess advanced technologies and methods for anti-flooding such as water reservoir and retention pipes so they can win more orders in emerging and developing markets suffering from severe floods due to climate change. The standards are slated to launch in three years.

The standards prepared by Japanese initiative are expected to make it easier for Japanese businesses to take a lead in international competitive bidding of rain water management facilities. As Japanese companies usually apply a pipe jacking method in building water retention pipes underground, it is considered many Asian emerging countries, facing chronic traffic congestions, prefer the method to conventional cut and cover construction. (201/03/31)