Green infrastructure development: The best way to manage stormwater


Stormwater management is quite challenging in an urban area because there are impervious surfaces all around. In a natural setting, the soil absorbs most of the water, thereby allowing the process of groundwater recharging. And, the rest water is diverted to the nearby streams via watercourses. In rural areas, plants and trees play a major role in avoiding water pollution and soil erosion by controlling the water flow.

In cities, as the green cover is scarce, the stormwater runoff becomes one of the major causes of water pollution and flooding. When rainwater falls on concrete surfaces, it tends to flow into storm drains that are directly connected to waterways. While flowing through the concrete surfaces, the water carries away pollutants, such as dust, debris, pesticides, oil and ultimately mixes them into the nearby water body. Moreover, due to lack of pervious surfaces, waterlogging and flooding can occur frequently. To avoid these issues, it is important to follow these techniques:

  1. Installing a stormwater attenuation system can help in controlling the flow of rainwater. It should comprise an attenuation tank and a soakaway. The attenuation tank can collect the stormwater runoff from a specific area. Once the water is collected, it can be diverted into the main drainage system at a controlled rate. Storing the water into the stormwater attenuation tank allows you to treat it before discharging into the drainage system.
  2. It is important to create a wetland or soakaway pit near the underground attenuation tank. In a natural setting, the wetlands can hold excess water in place, helping in recharging groundwater.
To manage rainwater most naturally, urbanites need to implement green infrastructure practices, which include creating permeable pavements, rain gardens, bioswales, vegetative swales, infiltration trenches, green roofs, planter boxes, rainwater harvesting systems, and urban tree canopies.

Conclusion- Green infrastructure practice is a practical and cost-efficient way of managing stormwater runoff. Combining this technique with a stormwater attenuation system helps in preventing waterlogging and soil erosion. Moreover, it also ensures that the groundwater restoration process goes smoothly. Last but not least, green infrastructure treats stormwater at its source, thereby avoiding water pollution.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What are soakaway crates & How does soakway crates work?

What is Stormwater attenuation &how does it work?

What Are the Implications of Stormwater Mismanagement? How to Deal with Them?