SPONGE
CITIES - ENVIRONMENT
News: What is China’s ‘sponge cities’ and
why aren’t they stopping the floods?
What's
in the news?
●
China
has been hit by devastating floods in recent weeks, inundating cities and
causing deaths and infrastructural damage, as well as raising questions about
the effectiveness of its 2015 “sponge city” initiative aimed at reducing urban
flood risks.
Sponge
Cities:
●
The initiative was launched to boost flood
resilience in major cities and make better use of rainwater through
architectural, engineering and infrastructural tweaks.
●
The “sponge city” initiative was designed
to make greater use of lower-impact “nature-based solutions” to better distribute water and improve
drainage and storage.
●
The construction of new canals and ponds
and also the restoration of wetlands, which would not only ease waterlogging,
but also improve the urban environment.