#Solutions Reducing soil sealing in south-eastern France
Update 2015-11-30Climate disruption means that floods, heat waves and groundwater shortages are becoming more and more common, which raises the question of urban land use planning.
REDUCING RUNOFF AND FLOOD RISK AND COOLING URBAN AREAS
Rhône-Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency Initiative
Adaptation
Climate disruption means that floods, heat waves and groundwater shortages are becoming more and more common, which raises the question of urban land use planning.
The Rhône-Mediterranean-Corsica Water Agency’s plan for adapting to climate change will facilitate soil drainage in urban areas. For every square metre of sealed soil, it recommends creating one and a half times that in seepage areas that feed into groundwater or streams. There are several advantages of this: it improves groundwater recharge, reduces runoff and the risk of flooding, and brings coolness to the urban area.
This adaptation plan, based on scientific work validated by climatologist Hervé Le Treut, proposes concrete actions in three main areas: seepage of water into soils, avoiding waste and restoring the space that rivers require to function properly.