Arcadis has been appointed as the principal consultant by Wuhan Water Authority for its Sponge City programme. This Central Government-driven initiative involves 16 cities across China including Wuhan, Chongqing and Xiamen and will result in an infrastructure which holds, cleans and drains water using an ecologically-friendly approach.
The programme gets its name from the innovative solution it provides: using life-enhancing public spaces to absorb storm water, making the city more resilient to climate change and natural disasters.
Since 2008, the number of Chinese cities affected by floods has more than doubled. As the principle consultant, Arcadis will be providing technical, policy and programme management advisory on the Wuhan Sponge City programme. With the success of this project, Arcadis is aiming to work with other cities in China on similar programmes in the near future.
WenMei Ha, Head of China Water Management team at Arcadis Asia commented: “We are very excited to be part of this pioneer project in Wuhan. Blending green infrastructure with other flood-control measures, the Sponge City programme aims to reduce the economic and environmental damage caused by pluvial flooding in Wuhan and increase quality of life for its residents. With our extensive hands-on experience and knowledge of water projects across the globe, we will be able to deliver efficient and sustainable results for the Sponge City projects.”
