And, in theory, it can also be used in the water supply system for things such as irrigation and street cleaning, and reducing tap water consumption. Rainwater can evaporate and cool the city. The natural waterways and permeable soils employed in sponge city designs ideally clean water and reduce pollution. "It's not an adaptive solution, it's fighting against nature." Sponge cities rely on natural waterways that meander and slow down water Image: Long Wei/Sipa Asia/ZUMAPRESS/picture alliance Cleaning water "Even when you have a bigger system, a much thicker, stronger pipe system, it will still fail after 10 years or even after one year," he said. And that's because you have a dam, not because you don't have a dam," he told DW. "Not only in China, but also in America, you see that failed dams kill a huge amount of people. Yu says replacing the concrete infrastructure can end up saving lives. Instead of building fast-flowing water channels, sponge cities slow down the water in meandering streams without concrete walls and with room to spread out during heavy deluges. The basic principle of sponge cities is to give water enough room and time drain into the soil where it falls, rather than channeling it away as quickly as possible and sequestering it in huge dams. Rapid urbanization has made Chinese cities susceptible to flooding Image: EPA/STR/dpa/picture alliance The basic tenets After successful trials, cities are now obligated to build sponge city elements, with authorities hoping to turn 80% of urban areas into sponges by 2030. In 2013, Yu's ideas were adopted by the Chinese Central Government and the plan was rolled out to 30 cities. His ultimate vision is a city devoid of gray infrastructure, with wetlands, green areas, permeable surfaces, widespread vegetation, winding creeks, open areas next to roads, and floodplains. Yu says tropical cities were mistaken in implementing the same water-management systems that were developed in the mild climates of Europe, arguing they can lead to catastrophic damage. Floods there and in other developing countries, such as India and Bangladesh, have been blamed on rapid urbanization and the destruction of wetlands, which are natural sponges that trap and release water slowly. The issue was thrust into the spotlight when flooding swamped Beijing in 2012, crippling the city and killing scores of people. Permeable surfaces like this one allow water to seep into the ground Image: Mu Yu/Xinhua/picture alliance An adaptable solution He says the current approach of building vast concrete barriers and covering all permeable surfaces is doomed to fail and instead cities should adopt nature-based solutions to flooding. Kongjian Yu, dean of Peking University's College of Architecture, pioneered research into sponge cities, and has spent more than 20 years campaigning for their adoption in China. These concepts could be used in cities across the world to combat flooding, absorb carbon dioxide, increase animal and plant life, and expand green spaces. Instead of relying on the "gray infrastructure" of levees, pipes, dams and channels, sponge cities allow urban areas to absorb water in times of high rainfall and release it in times of drought. We will then get back to you as soon as possible.Faced with worsening urban floods, cities in China are embracing nature and building what are termed "sponge cities." Just call us, or better still, send us an e-mail. ![]() ![]() If you would like to know more about our products, we would be pleased to supply you with further information and details of our company's complete product range. But we prefer to set a few of our own as well. Whether in France or Saudi Arabia - we stand by our promises: We comply with all common quality standards. Shutoff slide-gates, control slide-gates, telescopic slide-gates, stoplog closures and fittings without housings - IBS is famous for its worldwide efforts to ensure individual compatibility and high quality. A trust that drives us on in our mission to improve our products continuously - for your protection. Our customers have come to trust and rely on IBS products. IBS has successfully carried out more than four thousand projects over the past twenty years. ![]() Movable flood-defence walls supplied by IBS protect people from the UK to Hungary and from Thailand to the United States. Our customer-base is spread all over the world. Flood-defence systems consisting of stoplogs, mobile flood-defences for specific sites, slide-gate systems and stop log closures - IBS Technics GmbH has spent the past twenty years creating an enviable reputation for itself on international markets in both the disaster-prevention and water-supply sectors.
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