Yichang accelerates its ‘Sponge City’ transformation
2023-04-17 20:04:11
By Chen Zai, Yichang International Communication Studio
At the Party Congress in December 2021, Yichang decided to launch a “sponge city” project. Since then, the city has had significant success in reducing soil erosion and water pollution, restoring ecosystem functions, recycling water, and restoring wetlands. New local regulations have been approved, academic support marshalled, and innovative financial models developed.
“Sponge city” is a concept by which city rainwater is captured and absorbed instead of being confined and rushed away. This approach helps combat city flooding and strengthen urban drainage systems and ecological infrastructure. By capturing rainwater and utilizing it to reduce floods, it enables a better use of water resources, helps reduce the urban ‘heat island effect’ and improves biodiversity and the environment. The rainwater harvested can be repurposed for irrigation and home use.
Yichang has abundant rainfall and dense water systems. There are 183 rivers in Yichang's territory, with a catchment area of more than 30 square kilometers. The city has an average annual rainfall of 1162.9 mm – similar to Wuhan and Shanghai – and often experiences waterlogging in the rainy seasons.
At the Party Congress in December 2021, Yichang decided to launch a “sponge city” project. Since then, the city has had significant success in reducing soil erosion and water pollution, restoring ecosystem functions, recycling water, and restoring wetlands. New local regulations have been approved, academic support marshalled, and innovative financial models developed.
“Sponge city” is a concept by which city rainwater is captured and absorbed instead of being confined and rushed away. This approach helps combat city flooding and strengthen urban drainage systems and ecological infrastructure. By capturing rainwater and utilizing it to reduce floods, it enables a better use of water resources, helps reduce the urban ‘heat island effect’ and improves biodiversity and the environment. The rainwater harvested can be repurposed for irrigation and home use.
Yichang has abundant rainfall and dense water systems. There are 183 rivers in Yichang's territory, with a catchment area of more than 30 square kilometers. The city has an average annual rainfall of 1162.9 mm – similar to Wuhan and Shanghai – and often experiences waterlogging in the rainy seasons.
Measures
Regulation: Yichang has issued more than 20 sponge city policies and seven sponge city technical guidelines.
Academia: Yichang is working with China Three Gorges University to set up the "Yichang Sponge City Construction Technology Joint Research Center" which will oversee construction, education and research for the city’s sponge city transformation projects.
Financing: Yichang and the China Three Gorges Corporation have earmarked 100 billion yuan (US$14.55 billion) of funds for water management. The city has also kicked off PPP (Public Private Partnership) projects to build a sewage treatment network and an ecological water network in the main urban area.
Success
1. After heavy rain, Huanghe Road was invariably inundated. It can now cope with heavy rain without disrupting vehicles and pedestrians and is never waterlogged.
2. The city’s drainage improvement project has equipped Yichang Monkey King Welding Wire Factory and Bibocuiyuan Community with a new permeable pavement, as well as a rain garden and water storage infrastructure. People can now walk safely during rainy days in these areas.
3. At Yichang Olympic Sports Center – where the 16th Hubei Provincial Games are being held – seven rainwater collection ponds have been built to collect rainwater from roofs, squares, roads and lawns for green plant maintenance and road watering.
4. Forests, corridors, bridges and pavilions have been built at Yichang's Canal Park. Twelve abandoned fishponds in the park were transformed into urban water purifiers, transforming the park into a mini sponge for the city and also a great place for people to relax.
5. Juanqiaohe Wetland has created floating islands at the bend of the Juanqiaohe River. It uses aquatic plants to cultivate microorganisms that reduce pollution, making the entire wetland an ecologically elastic sponge.
In June 2022, Yichang City was listed in the second batch of nationwide demonstration “sponge cities” in the "14th Five-Year Plan".
