Today's Headlines - 12 August 2023
‘Sponge cities’ not stopped the floods
GS Paper - 1 (Geography)
China has been hit by devastating floods, inundating cities and causing deaths and infrastructural damage, as well as raising questions about the effectiveness of its 2015 “sponge city” initiative aimed at reducing urban flood risks. The initiative was launched to boost flood resilience in major cities and make better use of rainwater through architectural, engineering and infrastructural tweaks.
Why was the initiative launched?
China has long sought to improve the way it handles extreme weather, and make highly populated cities less vulnerable to flooding and drought.
The “sponge city” initiative was designed to make greater use of lower-impact “nature-based solutions” to better distribute water and improve drainage and storage.
Those solutions included the use of permeable asphalt, the construction of new canals and ponds and also the restoration of wetlands, which would not only ease waterlogging, but also improve the urban environment.
Breakneck urbanisation has encased vast stretches of land in impermeable concrete, often along banks of major rivers that traditionally served as flood plains. With wetlands paved over and nowhere for surplus water to settle, waterlogging and flooding was commonplace.
What has been done so far?
Studies show that many of the local pilot initiatives launched so far have had a positive effect, with low-impact projects like green roofs and rain gardens reducing run-offs.
But implementation has so far been patchy. A total of 30 pilot sponge cities were selected in 2015 and 2016.
By last year, only 64 of China’s 654 cities had produced legislation to implement sponge city guidelines, researchers said in January.
The researchers said the government had so far paid “minimum attention” to sponge city construction, and called for national legislation to be drawn up as soon as possible.
What are the limitations of sponge cities?
Even if sponge city measures had been implemented in full, they would have been unable to prevent this year’s disasters.
Zhengzhou in Henan province was one of the most enthusiastic pioneers of sponge city construction, allocating nearly 60 billion yuan to the programme from 2016 to 2021. But it was unable to deal with its heaviest rainfall in history in 2021.
Experts believe sponge city infrastructure can only handle no more than 200 millimetres (7.9 inches) of rain per day.
At the height of the rainstorms that lashed Beijing at the end of July, rainfall at one station reached 745 millimetres over three and a half days. In July 2021, Zhengzhou saw rainfall in excess of 200 mm in just one hour.
Authorities are also playing catch-up to climate change. This year’s heavy rain hit cities in the normally arid north, where sponge city development is less advanced.
#upsc #news #headline #sponge #floods #geography #china #weather #launched #damage #city #rainwater #wetlands #urbanisation #restoration #canals #ponds #limitations #legislation #disasters #zhengzhou #henan #development #climatechange #rainstorms #rainfall
‘Sponge cities’ not stopped the floods
GS Paper - 1 (Geography)
China has been hit by devastating floods, inundating cities and causing deaths and infrastructural damage, as well as raising questions about the effectiveness of its 2015 “sponge city” initiative aimed at reducing urban flood risks. The initiative was launched to boost flood resilience in major cities and make better use of rainwater through architectural, engineering and infrastructural tweaks.
Why was the initiative launched?
China has long sought to improve the way it handles extreme weather, and make highly populated cities less vulnerable to flooding and drought.
The “sponge city” initiative was designed to make greater use of lower-impact “nature-based solutions” to better distribute water and improve drainage and storage.
Those solutions included the use of permeable asphalt, the construction of new canals and ponds and also the restoration of wetlands, which would not only ease waterlogging, but also improve the urban environment.
Breakneck urbanisation has encased vast stretches of land in impermeable concrete, often along banks of major rivers that traditionally served as flood plains. With wetlands paved over and nowhere for surplus water to settle, waterlogging and flooding was commonplace.
What has been done so far?
Studies show that many of the local pilot initiatives launched so far have had a positive effect, with low-impact projects like green roofs and rain gardens reducing run-offs.
But implementation has so far been patchy. A total of 30 pilot sponge cities were selected in 2015 and 2016.
By last year, only 64 of China’s 654 cities had produced legislation to implement sponge city guidelines, researchers said in January.
The researchers said the government had so far paid “minimum attention” to sponge city construction, and called for national legislation to be drawn up as soon as possible.
What are the limitations of sponge cities?
Even if sponge city measures had been implemented in full, they would have been unable to prevent this year’s disasters.
Zhengzhou in Henan province was one of the most enthusiastic pioneers of sponge city construction, allocating nearly 60 billion yuan to the programme from 2016 to 2021. But it was unable to deal with its heaviest rainfall in history in 2021.
Experts believe sponge city infrastructure can only handle no more than 200 millimetres (7.9 inches) of rain per day.
At the height of the rainstorms that lashed Beijing at the end of July, rainfall at one station reached 745 millimetres over three and a half days. In July 2021, Zhengzhou saw rainfall in excess of 200 mm in just one hour.
Authorities are also playing catch-up to climate change. This year’s heavy rain hit cities in the normally arid north, where sponge city development is less advanced.
#upsc #news #headline #sponge #floods #geography #china #weather #launched #damage #city #rainwater #wetlands #urbanisation #restoration #canals #ponds #limitations #legislation #disasters #zhengzhou #henan #development #climatechange #rainstorms #rainfall
Today's Headlines - 09 September 2023
Indore ranks first in Clean Air Survey 2023
GS Paper - 2 (Infrastructure)
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav awarded first rank to the Information Technology hub of Madhya Pradesh, Indore, in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan-2023 (or Clean Air Survey), conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board.
More about the Sarvekshan-2023
Under the first category (million-plus population), Indore ranked first, followed by Agra and Thane. Amravati secured first rank in the second category (3-10 lakh population), followed by Moradabad and Guntur.
Similarly, for the third category (less than 3 lakh population), Parwanoo secured the first rank, followed by Kala Amb and Angul.
The fourth International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (Swachh Vayu Diwas 2023) aims to create stronger partnerships, increase investment, and share responsibility for overcoming air pollution, with the global theme of "Together for Clean Air."
About NCAP
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been implementing the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a national-level strategy, outlining the actions for reducing the levels of air pollution at city and regional scales in India since 2019.
The NCAP aims to systematically address air pollution by engaging all stakeholders and ensuring necessary action.
A total of 131 cities have been identified for the implementation of the city-specific action plans under this programme, for reducing air pollution by up to 40 per cent by FY26.
NCAP focuses on the preparation and implementation of national-level action plans, state-level action plans, and city-level action plans for the targeted 131 cities.
Flashback
The NCAP Ministry has also launched "PRANA", a portal for monitoring the implementation of NCAP.
In this portal, action plans of cities, states, and line ministries will be reflected and monitored for their implementation status.
In addition, best practices adopted by cities are shared on the PRANA portal for adoption by other cities.
#upsc #news #headline #indore #ranks #cleanair #survey #infrastructure #UNIONMINISTER #Enviroment #Forest #climate #bhupenderyadav #technology #pollution #controlboard #madhyapradesh #sarvekshan #agra #thane #amravati #moradabad #guntur #parwanoo #angul #NCAP #forest #air #city #PRANA #Portal
Indore ranks first in Clean Air Survey 2023
GS Paper - 2 (Infrastructure)
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav awarded first rank to the Information Technology hub of Madhya Pradesh, Indore, in the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan-2023 (or Clean Air Survey), conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board.
More about the Sarvekshan-2023
Under the first category (million-plus population), Indore ranked first, followed by Agra and Thane. Amravati secured first rank in the second category (3-10 lakh population), followed by Moradabad and Guntur.
Similarly, for the third category (less than 3 lakh population), Parwanoo secured the first rank, followed by Kala Amb and Angul.
The fourth International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies (Swachh Vayu Diwas 2023) aims to create stronger partnerships, increase investment, and share responsibility for overcoming air pollution, with the global theme of "Together for Clean Air."
About NCAP
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been implementing the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a national-level strategy, outlining the actions for reducing the levels of air pollution at city and regional scales in India since 2019.
The NCAP aims to systematically address air pollution by engaging all stakeholders and ensuring necessary action.
A total of 131 cities have been identified for the implementation of the city-specific action plans under this programme, for reducing air pollution by up to 40 per cent by FY26.
NCAP focuses on the preparation and implementation of national-level action plans, state-level action plans, and city-level action plans for the targeted 131 cities.
Flashback
The NCAP Ministry has also launched "PRANA", a portal for monitoring the implementation of NCAP.
In this portal, action plans of cities, states, and line ministries will be reflected and monitored for their implementation status.
In addition, best practices adopted by cities are shared on the PRANA portal for adoption by other cities.
#upsc #news #headline #indore #ranks #cleanair #survey #infrastructure #UNIONMINISTER #Enviroment #Forest #climate #bhupenderyadav #technology #pollution #controlboard #madhyapradesh #sarvekshan #agra #thane #amravati #moradabad #guntur #parwanoo #angul #NCAP #forest #air #city #PRANA #Portal