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Ancient water works surpass modern sewers
By Frank Jiang |
July 20, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SOUTHERN China has been lashed with nature's wildest torrential rains of epic proportions.
Many cities like Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were buried under water. The consequences of not preparing properly for natural disasters are terrifying.
One of the answers may lie in Ganzhou, an ancient city in Jiangxi Province, which survived the rain storm, thanks in part to its ancient drainage system.
The recent disasters tested the flood-control and emergency response measures set up in many cities in southern China.
Drainage system were especially under pressure to handle flood waters. While many cities were found lacking, Ganzhou succeeded, ironically.
Its drainage system was an innovative feat of engineering during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that has been maintained. For centuries it served as the digestive tract of Ganzhou city, flushing and channeling water for its population.
In many other cities, drainage systems were unable to handle the deluge because the systems were constructed based on average rainfall reported in weather forecasts.
This doesn't take into account the worst-case scenarios, especially when the earth is saturated after long periods of rain and cannot hold any more water.
But in Ganzhou, the construction factored in the extremes.
The drainage pipes were installed at an angle four times that of most modern pipes, so even if the rain were many times heavier than expected, the system would still weather the prolonged storms without becoming submerged.
Another city to benefit from ancient innovative engineer is Dujiangyan, a small city in Sichuan Province that was damaged during the earthquake of 2008.
Its drainage system dates back more than 2,000 years and its creator, a famous water engineer and the town mayor, was so meticulous in his calculations that just the right amount of water was diverted for irrigation and other urban use. The rest was diverted into other canals to avoid flooding.
China's old irrigation works, drainage systems and water diversion projects acted like veins for the country and represented vital infrastructure for farmers.
The water works in Dujiangyan and Ganzhou demonstrate that ancient wisdom is applicable today in helping the population handle the forces of nature.
We can only marvel at the inventiveness of the ancient Chinese, who did not exploit their land and resources and knew how to use them to avert disasters.
Some ancient drainage systems that have been well maintained may function better than modern drainage systems built with the most advanced technology.
This fact is worth pondering.
A city that is full of lights, towering structure and pavement that covers the soil is only half the picture. The other half is beneath the earth, the bedrock systems and infrastructure that makes modern cities possible.
The ancient Chinese wisdom and invention are worth learning from.
(The author is an Australian student now studying and living in Shanghai.)
Many cities like Guangzhou in Guangdong Province and Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were buried under water. The consequences of not preparing properly for natural disasters are terrifying.
One of the answers may lie in Ganzhou, an ancient city in Jiangxi Province, which survived the rain storm, thanks in part to its ancient drainage system.
The recent disasters tested the flood-control and emergency response measures set up in many cities in southern China.
Drainage system were especially under pressure to handle flood waters. While many cities were found lacking, Ganzhou succeeded, ironically.
Its drainage system was an innovative feat of engineering during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that has been maintained. For centuries it served as the digestive tract of Ganzhou city, flushing and channeling water for its population.
In many other cities, drainage systems were unable to handle the deluge because the systems were constructed based on average rainfall reported in weather forecasts.
This doesn't take into account the worst-case scenarios, especially when the earth is saturated after long periods of rain and cannot hold any more water.
But in Ganzhou, the construction factored in the extremes.
The drainage pipes were installed at an angle four times that of most modern pipes, so even if the rain were many times heavier than expected, the system would still weather the prolonged storms without becoming submerged.
Another city to benefit from ancient innovative engineer is Dujiangyan, a small city in Sichuan Province that was damaged during the earthquake of 2008.
Its drainage system dates back more than 2,000 years and its creator, a famous water engineer and the town mayor, was so meticulous in his calculations that just the right amount of water was diverted for irrigation and other urban use. The rest was diverted into other canals to avoid flooding.
China's old irrigation works, drainage systems and water diversion projects acted like veins for the country and represented vital infrastructure for farmers.
The water works in Dujiangyan and Ganzhou demonstrate that ancient wisdom is applicable today in helping the population handle the forces of nature.
We can only marvel at the inventiveness of the ancient Chinese, who did not exploit their land and resources and knew how to use them to avert disasters.
Some ancient drainage systems that have been well maintained may function better than modern drainage systems built with the most advanced technology.
This fact is worth pondering.
A city that is full of lights, towering structure and pavement that covers the soil is only half the picture. The other half is beneath the earth, the bedrock systems and infrastructure that makes modern cities possible.
The ancient Chinese wisdom and invention are worth learning from.
(The author is an Australian student now studying and living in Shanghai.)
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