2023-09-14 19:49:51
Every year we receive information regarding floods that happen in different cities around the world. Rainfall patterns are drastically modified under certain conditions imposed by climate change, such as the increase in the intensity and frequency of rain in many regions of the planet. According to data from the United Nations, extreme rainfall and global flooding have increased by more than 50% during this last decade, and are now being produced at a rate four times greater than in 1980. (Fuente).
In Argentina, according to the World Bank, there are an average of losses of around US$1 billion annually due to floods. (Fuente). This is because such floods impact water availability, sanitation and other facets of human livelihoods by damaging key infrastructure and services.
These floods can be explained, in a certain way, as a product of the rapid growth of cities with the consequent waterproofing of natural soil through the construction of paving, buildings and parking lots, among others. Large-scale waterproofing directly affects the natural water cycle.
As a consequence of the waterproofing of the floor, Rainwater that previously infiltrated the soil superficially and deeply (recharging natural groundwater reservoirs) can no longer do so. This large volume of water that cannot be infiltrated begins to run off the surface while the precipitation event lasts, increasing the flood level, causing high runoff speeds and increasing the flows of nearby rivers and streams.
“As a consequence of soil waterproofing, rainwater that previously infiltrated the soil superficially and deeply (recharging natural groundwater reservoirs) can no longer do so.”
As a result, A series of problems arise in social, environmental and economic aspects, related to water management that cities must have in the face of these complicated situations.
How can we face this problem?
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) seek, through different methodologies, recreate the natural conditions of the area before any construction existed. Facilitating, in this way, rainwater to be managed in the same place where it falls without the need to be transported, reducing surface runoff to a minimum in order not to overload urban drainage systems. Often, overloading these drainage systems exponentially increases the problems and disasters caused by storms and floods.
To help our cities be more resilient to floods, Amanco Wavin developed Aquacell cells. This system allows the maximum peaks of rain to be captured and infiltrated, attenuated or stored, and thanks to their versatility, they can be placed in squares, boulevards, streets, sidewalks, buildings, industrial warehouses and homes. Another benefit of Wavin Aquacell cells is that they are Made from 100% recycled material (high resistance polypropylene) and its 95% void ratio allows it to store approximately 190 liters per cell.
These types of solutions are generally cheaper and faster to execute than traditional sewer solutions. In addition, they are easily adaptable to function as a landscape component in the intervention area.
Recharge of underground aquifers or water storage
One of the possible solutions is to infiltrate and store rainwater through reservoir tanks. for later use in cleaning sidewalks, watering urban vegetation and unloading artifacts inside the building. It is important to highlight that the water from these systems has a low biological and chemical risk, so its manipulation does not represent any risk, as long as this does not imply direct human consumption.
“By applying these systems, whatever alternative is chosen, the important thing is that water is prevented from running over the surface or from excessively recharging the city’s stormwater network during the storm, which contributes to mitigating the risks of flood,” he said. Sandra Pérez, Global Product Manager of Amanco Wavin. “In addition, they also serve to help recharge underground aquifers, contributing to the availability of water during periods of drought and to reduce the consumption of drinking water for uses that are not for human consumption.”
Likewise, due to the great morphological versatility of this type of solutions, It is possible to implement them in public spaces (such as squares, parks, boulevards, sidewalks), maneuvering areas, parking lots and even inside buildings.
“Building healthy and sustainable environments is our goal, our purpose and our promise as a company. The effects of the climate crisis are increasingly visible, at Amanco Wavin, we seek to bring visibility to this problem, raising greater awareness regarding the consequences that the way we plan our lives in cities has on the conservation of ecosystems. and encouraging to contribute to the construction of sustainable cities that are more resistant to the climate,” concluded Pérez.
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