“ICAL 1/DT X Joint International Symposium with JAALS”

沙漠研究 21-2, 63 -66 (2011)-Memorial Article-

Journal of Arid Land Studies

Water Study for Peace: What I Learned from Professor Iwao Kobori inChina, Tunisia, Egypt, and Algeria (2005-2010)
Hiroshi NAWATA*1)
Abstract: Professor Iwao Kobori (1924-2010) was the first president of the Japanese Association for Arid Land Studies (1990-2000).
He conducted many international research missions in Asia, Africa and Latin America mainly focusing on Water Problems in Arid andSemi-Arid lands, with a special emphasis on the “Qanat” system and the oasis. The chief purpose of his life work was not just tostudy the origin, diffusion and the future of the “Qanat” systems of the world, but to disseminate and preserve the knowledge on this
precious traditional hydro-technology for the general public and future generations. In June 2010, during his last visit to his beloved
Saharan village, In Belbel, Algeria, Professor Kobori said “we should not be satisfied with doing researches for our own interest. We
must make use of these results for the benefit of the local people by working together. I would like to thank all the people who madethis possible”.
Key Words: Iwao Kobori, “Qanat” system, Traditional hydro-technology, Water study for peace

1. Introduction
Professor Iwao Kobori (1924-2010) was the first presidentof the Japanese Association for Arid Land Studies (1990-2000).
I would like to share what I had the opportunity to personallylearn from Professor Iwao Kobori during our time together
with all members of JAALS and participants of ICAL1.
Throughout his career, Professor Kobori conductednumerous international research missions to Asia, Africa andLatin America. His main research interests lied in Water
Problems in Arid and Semi-Arid lands, with a special focus on
the “Qanat” system and the oasis. He has published morethan 100 scientific articles, written eight books, and was editor
for ten publications and translated seven titles regarding the“Foggara” (“Qanat”, “Karez”, “Khettara”, “Falaj”) system.
He started doing field surveys on the “Qanat” system in 1956
as a member of the Tokyo University Iran Iraq ArchaeologicalExpedition. As a geographer, he found the “Qanat” water
system in arid lands extremely interesting, and he decided topursue its origin and do a comparative study of “Qanat” Oasis
in the Old Continent. His field work expanded from Western
Asia to North Africa, China, Central Asia and the Americas.
Field surveys were supported by research grants provide by theJapanese Ministry of Education, JICA, the Toyota Foundation,UNESCO, United Nations University, the World Bank,ICARDA and the EC Commission. The chief purpose of hislife work was not only to study the origin, diffusion and thefuture of the “Qanat” systems of the world but to disseminateand preserve the knowledge on this precious traditional* Corresponding Author: nawata@chikyu.ac.jp457-4 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047, Japan1) Research Institute for Humanity and Nature,

Fig. 1. Professor Iwao Kobori with Mr Hamadi Ahmed El-Haj andvillagers at In Belbel, Algeria in May, 2009.

hydro-technology for the general public and the future
generations around the globe” (Kobori, CV) (see Referencesfor his main publications).
I had the great opportunity to be with Professor Kobori at 1)
Lanzou, China, 2) Tunis, Tunisia, 3) Alexandria, Egypt, 4)
Aleppo, Syria, 5) Alger, Algeria, and 6) Saharan desert, Algeria,
from year 2005 to 2010. I had the honor of being introduced
to his friends and colleagues from all over the world, whosebackgrounds varied from academicians to administrators,
diplomats to local villagers, teachers to technicians,
businessmen to artists, and from nomadic people to urban
dwellers. Many were introduced to me during international
conferences for arid lands and desertification, and also while
doing field researches in villages of the Saharan desert which(Received June 6th, 2011; Accepted October 7th 2011)

Professor Kobori loved most dearly.

2. “Sweet fresh water of “Karez” will irrigate
friendship” (Sung Yi Tung)
Professor Kobori gave a lecture to young students, age oftwenties, at the Institute of Desert Research, Lanzou, in
September 2005. I remember being very surprised, when hestarted his talk by saying “Nobody cannot prove which side
opened fire on the night of July 7, 1937”.
The phrase was followed by an explanation about what
motivated him to major in geography and how he came to
study arid lands, with the support, and cooperation of Chinesecolleagues. All who were listening, including myself, were ofhis grand-sons’ generation. We listened attentively to his
broad range of topics and deep insights obtained through his
enthusiastic field researches on the “Qanat” system and the
traditional underground water management system, andthrough his loving relationship he had built with people fromall walks of life.
He finished his lecture by sharing with us a phrase in a letterfrom his Chinese friend and colleague, Mr. Sung Yi Tung,
which said, in Chinese, “Sweet fresh water of “Karez” will
irrigate friendship”.

3. “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more” (Old Testament)
I participated in a joint international conference titled“Desertification and the International Policy Imperative” heldin Algiers on December 2006. Professor Kobori made his
presentation titled “Algerian Sahara: Field Surveys in Tidikelt”.
He took to the podium, where the President and the Minister
had just made their speeches, along with two Algeriancolleagues: Mr. Abderahmane Benkhalifa, a date palm
specialist, and Mr. Hamadi Ahmed El-Haj, a local teacher, who
had been his co-workers for many years at the Saharan oases
where he studies the “Foggara” and its conservation.
His lecture started with an introduction of a Tuareg proverb“God created large fields with water for men to live on, anddeserts so that they discover their soul”. He then presented
results from his field surveys, lessons learned from the local
people, government policies and activities, the development ofplans for the south, and inter linkages between local
communities and central authorities.
Although we regard water issues as one of the mostimportant problems today which the world must overcome
through international governance for, conflict resolution, andpoverty reduction, Professor Kobori emphasized theimportance of water resource management, from early on

based on his field studies spanning a half-century on traditional
water management systems. In these water scarce arid lands,
he especially learned a lot from local communities about how
to share, communicate, and live with one another in a peacefulmanner.
He ended his moving speech with the phrase “They shallbeat their swords into plow shares, and their spears into
pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation,neither shall they learn war any more” (Old Testament). Theinternational audience gave him a standing ovation.

4. “We should not be just satisfied with research for ourown interests” (his last message in In Belbel, Algeria)
In June 2010, during the hottest time of the year in theSahara desert, Professor Kobori attended the Muslim Saint
Festival he had long desired to attend. During the Muslim
Saint Festival, all villagers come back hometown. Sitting
together on the ground outside in the village of In Belbel,
Professor Kobori and a few researchers working with the“Study of Human Subsistence Ecosystem in Arab subsistence”
project I am leading at the Research Institute for Humanity andNature who were from Italy, France and Japan, along withlocal community members, had a heated discussion about
academic research and development projects for the future ofSaharan village.
Mr. Pietro Laureano, a traditional knowledge
conservationist and architect, asked Professor Kobori to tell us
his own story. We were able to record his message in Frenchand in Japanese. He said “we should not be satisfied withdoing research for our own interests. We must make use of
the results for the benefit of the local people by working
together. I would like to thank all the people who made thispossible”. This ended up being his last visit to In Belbel.
“I had been visiting In Belbel since 1977, with my friends
Professor Suzuki and Mr. El-Haj because of my interest in
doing a comparative study of Oases and “Foggara” in North
Africa. Our team was not big, so we could not work in a big
oasis. The In Belbel oasis was well isolated in 1977, with atotal population of about 300. I thought this oasis was aperfect size for our small team from the University of Tokyoand other universities.
Since 1977, I have organized many research missions thatwere financed by the University of Tokyo and the Toyota
foundation in order to study the “Foggara” and evaluate theoasis that it is in. During the last thirty to forty years, I saw
many changes and progress in the oasis. When I was here in
1977, people lacked vegetables, there was only one teacher
with 7 students in primary school, and population growth wasslow.

Fig. 2 Professor Iwao Kobori addressing his message at In Belbel,
Algeria in June 2010

In 1977 some families inhabited the Kasba, but only until
the 1980s, when they moved to a new site. In the early 1980s,
the people had only one “Foggara”, which irrigated all thefarms under Islamic regulation. It was extremely interestingfor students researching the “Foggara” system. People
practice agro-forestry, but the date-palms were still small then.
Since 1977, I organized three, four, or maybe five field trips
with our research team.
During one of our trips in 1992, we held an internationalconference on combating desertification at Gardaia with thehabitants of Algerian and Madame Bunaga. I would like toexpress my deepest thanks to Madame Bunaga for making
possible our first official contract with the University of Algiers.
Since then, I have met Mr. Pirtro Laureano, and Madame
Bunaga introduced me to her best student Mr. Benkhalifa.
I cannot forget Mr. El-Haj, who is the most important man
in the Sahara. I met him in 1961, during the war forindependence. Even the Sahara was very quiet then. Dairaof Aoulef introduced me to Mr. El-Haj who was very
knowledgeable about the “Foggara” of Aoulef as well asothers throughout the region. Since then, Mr. El-Haj and hisfamily have assisted us with our research. Without theirassistance, we would not have been to continue with ourmission.
During the last thirty years we have made maps of In
Belbel, to study such issues as the structural characteristics offamilies. Throughout our field research, we can say that theprogress seen in the oasis in both statistical and economicalsituations. We have studied not simply for our own benefits,
but also for the benefit of the people of In Belbel. Theknowledge we have gained must be returned to the local
inhabitants.
It was fortunate that after my retirement from United
Nations University, RIHN in Kyoto, Japan started the projecton human ecosystem in the Sahara, and chose In Belbel as oneof their sites. We are able to work here for three more years
with our international colleagues and of course our Algeriancolleagues, not only for our own academic benefit but to help
the durable development of In Belbel community. Examplesof needed development include the renovation of Kasba,
Museum of Sahara, and the rehabilitation of abandoned lands
or date-palms.
This project cannot be completed by our team alone. First
we need to collaborate with the Algerians and then with theinternational community. Today I am very happy to have allof my colleagues here. If my friends will continue to study InBelbel, I will have chances to knock on the door of In Belbel inthe future. Thank you very much.” (translated from French to
English by Shun Ishiyama)

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