15.07.2021 – 19:10
Although urban development in China is progressing at a dizzying pace, climate change is degrading the quality of life. China has proposed an innovative plan to avoid flooding, turning 80 percent of urban areas into “sponges” to absorb and reuse at least 70 percent of rainwater.
Rainwater collection automatically increases the availability of water for various uses. This approach not only reduces flooding, but also strengthens a city’s water reservoirs. The city of Lingang near Shanghai is a very typical example.
Every free space has become a garden with plants and trees waiting to be irrigated. Natural wetlands that collect rainwater have been preserved, and artificial structures such as lakes have been created. The roofs of buildings have become “green”, while the sidewalks are permeable to water able to find a way out of the ground or accumulate in underground reservoirs for reuse.
