Cities Implementing Sustainable Water Measures

13/09/2017

Flooded Shenzhen in June. (image: BWPI)

​chinaurbanisationnews

​As flooded streets are becoming an all too familiar way of life in China, cities are now seeking for more efficient water solutions, aiming to address the national sponge city initiatives. 

Guangzhou Daguan Wetland Park, one of Guangzhou's first sponge parks. (image: gz.house.163.com)

​​Guangzhou has recently released a document on improving its sewage and flood prevention solutions.  

This document, named as Guangzhou Special Planning on Sponge City (2016-2030), has set the goal of transforming over 80% of Guangzhou's built area into a sponge city by 2030. To achieve this goal, Guangzhou will build 51 sponge parks, 25 artificial wetlands, and 128 Vegetation buffer zones in the future. It aims to absorb and make use of 70% of its rainfall. Besides, it seeks to enhance its water surface area ratio to 10.15% and 11%, and enhance its forest coverage rate into 42.5% and 44.15%, based on the short-term and long-term considerations respectively.

​Sponge Cities Absorb The Past...
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Particularly worth-noting about this document is the specific stipulation that at least 50% of Guangzhou's green space other than parks shall be lowered 50 mm from its surrounding ground to retain rainwater. Facilities should be deployed to drain standing water within 24 hours.

Nanjing overwhelmed by flood, 2015 (image: js.ifeng.com)

Similarly, Nanjing has also recently approved a special sponge city planning scheme, setting regulatory requirements on water safety, water environment, ecology and water resources.

It plans to renovate 148 sewage channels, including 5 new built ones. Moreover, this document has decided on 42 riverways to be improved, and to enhance the reclaimed water utilization rate to 25%. It aims to replace 5% of its water supply with rainwater. Also, it sets the requirements of building at least 200 cubic meters' water storage facilities in any area of over 2 hectares.

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