Lake Mashu
Japan's government plans to ban cars from getting as close as 12 miles to one of the world's clearest lakes to protect its transparency. As an alternative, the local government along with the Land, Transport and Infrastructure Ministry plan to offer public transportation services on hybrid buses by spring 2008 at Lake Mashu on the northern island of Hokkaido.
Lake Mashu recorded its worst clarity reading at 45 feet last year, the National Institute for Environmental Studies determined. In 1931, the lake had over 120 feet of visibility. Pollution is a major cause for the decline. About 800,000 people come to visit the lake every year, and an air pollution test recorded double the amount of carbon monoxide at the lake as in the center of the nearby town of Teshikaga.
May 10, 2006 6:32 AM | Category: Cleanup