Hubinnan Road yesterday

Hubinnan Road in previous years

In 2016, Xiamen City started the construction of sponge city.

The so-called “sponge city” is simply that the city has the same “elasticity” as a sponge. It can absorb water, store water, seep water, and filter water. It relieves the serious waterlogging disasters in the rainy season. When it has more rain, the water can be stored in the “sponge”. When short of water, squeeze the “sponge” to reach water supply. The most direct goal is that there is no stagnant water in the light rain, and no waterlogging in heavy rain.

At the end of last year, Xiamen announced a total of 36 projects that have completed construction containing the concept of sponge city. Recently, Xiamen has continued to rain. Has the newly built project survived the test? We visited it on the spot.

Local residents: In the past few years, we would have been overwhelmed.

Because of the topography, whenever it rains, especially heavy rains, rainwater flows down the mountains and eventually gathers on the Hubinnan road, it is easy to accumulate water.

At the end of 2016, as one of the sponge city projects in Xiamen, the rainwater collection and comprehensive utilization system was completed.

The system first set up a flood interception ditch on the mountain and buried the rainwater harvesting module in the ground. The rainwater flows into the storage and storage module along the intercepting ditch, removes the impurities in the water through the filter well, and then improves the water quality through the buried integrated machine, and then flows into the two storage tanks at the halfway upside, the capacity is 90 cubic meters and 240 cubic meters respectively.

How effective is this system? We came to Hubin South Road yesterday at noon. It was quiet in the rain, few people on the road. We turned around in the vicinity, only seeing the water in the area, but not deep, a construction sign was made at the manhole cover that was braving the water.

“This is the lowest place. This water is normal, and it does not flow to the outside. It does not affect traffic. Like the rain that was yesterday, in the past, we must be busy with the accumulation of water.” Local residents said He has lived here for 9 years, and he is very impressed by the water in previous years. He also found some photos of previous years  and showed to us. “This system is very effective for this project. Before it was rebuilt, once it rained, the mountains and rivers flowed down and suddenly exceeded the drainage capacity. They all rushed to the road. Now, before the water coming down, it will be intercepted and stored. There is also a water storage tank in the community to relieve stagnant water in rainy days and to provide landscape water daily.”

We also visited three other project sites. The rainwater harvesting module play their part. The problem of water accumulation is basically solved.

We believe that the construction of sponge city is a new concept and new way of urban development, not only a project, but an idea. This year, Xiamen will complete 30 key sponge projects, covering various types of projects such as construction, community renovation, municipal roads, park green space, etc., through year-on-year construction, and joint development, to better play its role in mitigating the city. And improve the role of urban water circulation systems and other aspects.