The Need For A Sustainable Drainage System

One of the various environmental impacts of climate change is flooding, which has now become the No 1 natural disaster. Primarily, flooding occurs as a result of heavy rainfall. It has, however, been identified that other factors also contribute to flooding. One is the absence of pathways for the free flow of water or blocked pathways for the free flow of water. The discussions around sustainable drainage systems do not seem as loud as other sustainability tips like protecting wildlife, protecting trees, etc. However, it is a subtle and indirect means to ensure sustainability. This article explains how drainage can help to salvage flooding problems that bedevil the Environment.

Absence of Drainage or Blocked Drainage and Flooding

Drainage systems serve as pathways for water movement. During rainfalls, water moves. Therefore, it requires a pathway. If enough pathways are not created, water's liquid nature makes it easy to find its way into the tightest of all corners through little door spaces and cracks in buildings. In open spaces, it spreads freely as there's no regulation or direction to its movement. 

Now, there could be drainages, but they could be blocked. Many societies lack a drainage maintenance culture which stems from poor waste disposal habits. Most solid wastes are indiscriminately thrown on streets, open spaces, and drainages. This hinders the free flow of water and causes water spillover when there's heavy rainfall, eventually leading to flooding. 

When flooding occurs due to the absence of drainage or blocked drainages, it takes over every available space, which does not exclude walkways and roads. It, therefore, wrecks the road infrastructures in a community which ultimately causes increased expenses on automobile maintenance.

Impact of Flooding on the Environment

Plants indeed need water to grow, however, in the right quantity. Flood doesn't give water; it washes away the topsoil, the most nutritious part of the soil for plants to grow. When this happens, the soil fertility is reduced drastically, which in turn tells on the quality of food harvested and consumed by humans.

How Drainages Help to Control Flooding

As earlier established, water moves; when it rains, there's water movement. It is, therefore, important to have waterways. Drainages serve as a waterway that gives direction to water movement, thereby reducing, to the nearest minimum, the possibility of flooding. Drainages, to a large extent, help regulate the flow of water, as drainages are channeled to bigger water bodies like dams used for electrical power generation.

In conclusion, drainages alone cannot solve flooding issues. However, it is one of the effective ways of protecting the Environment. Every household should take it upon themselves to ensure a free drainage system in their space, and together, we can reduce flooding to the nearest minimum and protect our trees, our farms, and the Earth as a whole. A more eco-friendly approach to drainage will be sustainable drainage systems.