Handicapped school creates killifish pond

Nineteen mentally handicapped people are planning to release in late July 1,000 killifish into a pond that they are refurbishing in Hanyu, Saitama Prefecture.

The fish, measuring three to four centimeters in length, have been raised by the disabled people, aged between 20 and 52, at a fish farm located at their welfare institution, called Sora to Kumo no Ie (house of sky and clouds), in the city.

The institution opened six years ago to provide vocational training for mentally handicapped people, all commuting within the city or from nearby municipalities.

Four years ago, the institution started using two charcoal burners to smoke bamboo, and now produces about five tons of bamboo charcoal each year. The charcoal is turned into various products, which are sold by volunteers.

The 580-square-meter pond where the fish will be released is located in the city park, Casse Hanyu.

The institution began to use its charcoal to purify the water in the pond in December, following an award of 1 million yen from the Social Welfare Research and Development Fund, which is administered by Sumitomo Trust and Banking Co.

In March, the 19 handicapped people drained the pond to clean out the mud and placed 38 baskets containing a total of 350 kilograms of bamboo charcoal on the bottom, and then refilled it.

By the end of this month, they are scheduled to plant water lilies in an attempt to create an ideal environment for the killifish, which will be released about three months later.

Institution officials said they would check the quality of the water each month and announce the results in October.