China to Build‘Sponge Cities’to Address Urban Waterlogging.docVIP

China to Build‘Sponge Cities’to Address Urban Waterlogging 　　China will try to turn its cities into “sponges” to better absorb rain following several fatal bouts of urban inundation in recent years， the State Council said in September. 　　A campaign called “sponge city” will see the construction of high-level urban sewer systems during renovation work and new roads， residences， industrial parks and public green areas， according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting. 　　The sewer system will drain rain water quickly and guide it to collection facilities for recycling. 　　The government encourages private investors to participate in the construction of the new sewer systems and asks financial institutions to provide support. 　　Heavy rain often results in floods in cities with outdated sewer systems. 　　In one case， 79 people died in Beijing after a rainstorm on July 21， 2012. 　　 Logistics Park Learns About ‘Sponge City’ 　　The International Trade and Logistics Park in Xi’an， Shaanxi province， arranged a lecture on Aug 28 to give officials a better understanding of the national “Sponge City”initiative. 　　“Sponge City” is a national project that has been launched to make full use of rainwater potential in terms of both energy and conservation. 　　Huang Ningjun， a technical expert for the project was invited to detail the definition and connotation of “Sponge City”. Huang also outlined the park’s construction plans in es- tablishing itself as a “Sponge City” by citing successful cases. 　　 800 Million Yuan Invested on Yuelai Sponge City Project 　　Approximately 800 million yuan （$128 million） will be invested in the construction of a pilot “sponge city” project in Yuelai New District， Chongqing， according to the Liangjiang New Area. The project will form part of a comprehensive multi-functional urban district in Liangjiang New Area. 　　Chongqing was listed as one of the first batch of pilot cities to construct a “sponge city” this April，