World Water Week

From 20-24 August it is World Water Week. As per the organizers, "World Water Week 2023 is focused on innovation at a time of unprecedented challenges. The theme Seeds of Change: Innovative Solutions for a Water-Wise World invites us to rethink how we manage water. Which ideas, innovations, and governance systems will we need in a more unstable and water scarce world?"

Green infrastructure can do a lot to help this goal.We have seen unprecedented rainfall events this summer hitting the Netherlands as extreme climate events are intensifying. Storm Poly even led to a death in the affected areas. Having more options to handle precipitation, in the form of green infrastructure, can help reduce and delay the peaks of storm floods. However, it must be planned with the same care as other infrastructure, both above and below the ground surface. 

Here we see an example when trees did not get sufficient space to develop their roots below ground and instead of helping to reduce water loads and prevent flooding, damaged an entire row of houses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/05/storm-poly-netherlands-germany-sting-jet/

If we look at green roofs, especially blue-green roofs, these can also collect water to be used at a later time, thus alleviating water scarcity. The collected water can be used to water a garden, wash a car, flush toilets, and other uses depending on a country's water quality laws. For drinking water, it must first be purified and treated to remove possible pollutants and pathogens. 

So we see that when it comes to water management, green infrastructure can help reduce negative impacts of climate change such as flooding, and reduce water scarcity. Green infrastructure does require water as well, meaning more insight in the water balance is required.