China: Liaoning Panjin Urban Climate Resilience with Nature Based Approaches for Sustainable Municipal Service Infrastructure

proposed

The City of Panjin is situated on the southernmost part of Liaohe River Delta where the river merges into the Bohai Sea, connecting to the Western Pacific Ocean. There are 21 rivers flowing through and abundant wetlands surrounding the urban area, providing biodiversity and ecological services to the estuary eco-system. However, due to fast urban expansion, the water area in Panjin City has decreased 26.5% whilst wetlands decreased 11.66%, putting the estuary eco-system into a critical situation, and making the city more prone to flood disaster and waterlogging issues. Obsolescent and poorly designed drainage systems add to the difficulties. Since 1984, Panjin City has had 6 major floods in 29 years caused by Liaohe River. It is listed as one of the top 31 Focus Cities for flood control, published by the State Office of Flood and Drought Relief. As a coastal city, it is estimated that Panjin City will be more vulnerable to Climate Change. Bohai Sea level has been rising 3.6 mm per year on average during 1980-2020 and rose an additional 23mm in 2021. According to the Northeast Regional Climate Change Assessment Report - 2020 Policymaker Summary, extreme climate events and hazardous weather disasters strike the region more frequently. Therefore, it became an urgent task for Panjin City to build up its urban climate resilience. The Project aims to support the Panjin City addressing various challenges related to frequent urban flooding, caused primarily by urban drainage blockages, and river affluent water quality and related pollution, caused by combined effects of rainwater and wastewater, especially in the context of increased climate change pressures. To achieve the Project objective, the following four pillars, or components, around which technical interventions will be put in place, are proposed and designed: Component 1: Wetland Restoration and Conservation. This component includes rehabilitation of ecological corridors in the urban area, and reconnection of the fragmented wetland and river systems. Component 2: Sponge City Infrastructure Transformation. This component includes expansion and upgrading of urban drainage systems and pumping stations, as well as separation of urban stormwater system from the sewerage system. Given that the Panjin city is a coastal city with high groundwater level, complex river systems and vulnerability to rising sea level caused by climate change, its sponge city transformation needs special design and consideration. Component 3: Digitalization of Urban Drainage Management System. This component will build up City Information Modelling (CIM) and a digitalized system, enabling the smart management of urban drainage network, pumping stations, wastewater plants and associated facilities. Component 4: Capacity Building. This component will provide project management support to the Panjin city during project implementation, and it will also support the Environmental and Social monitoring.