Water

With floods now causing more damage more frequently around the world, it is time to counter their effects by turning our towns into “Sponge Cities”, a recent trend popularised by China to absorb rainwater through permeable roads and pavements, parks, rooftop gardens and other green spaces.

This report outlines the ways Japan has built the resilience of its water supply and sanitation (WSS) services through an adaptive approach based on lessons learned from past natural disasters.

Water scarcity is a critical problem on the Philippine island of Kinatarcan, one of the most devastated areas after super-typhoon Haiyan swept across the country in 2013. In partnership with the local community, Cordaid helps to find durable and low cost solutions to build resilience against water scarcity, drought, salinisation, typhoons and other hazards that come with climate change.

As Paris is flooding again, cities will need to think beyond convenience or profit to add resilience to the necessary features of urban development. Urban areas should rethink the designation of "100-year" flood zones and the like to account for the impact of climate change.

As extreme weather gets worse, innovative solutions are more urgent and necessary than ever. Yet, paradoxically, the problems we face with nature can be improved by relating to the natural world in new ways. Integrating networks of green infrastructure — dotting highways with natural grasses or weaving streams through neighborhood yards — can help cities manage storm water in an adaptive, sustainable way.

A landmark programme to combat drought set to be implemented in the small Central European country of Slovakia could be an inspiration for other states as extreme weather events become more frequent, the environmental action group behind the plan has said.

As Cape Town struggles with a long drought, the dramatic drop in water usage has meant a large shortfall in projected revenue. To offset this shortfall and finance alternative water sources, the Mayor has proposed an additional, temporary fix in the form of a drought levy.

South Africa's Cape Town, one of the world's iconic tourist destinations, could run out of water by April as the city's worst drought in a century risks forcing residents to join queues for emergency rations. "Day Zero" - the date taps are due to run dry - has crept forward to April 22 as city authorities race to build desalination plants and drill underground boreholes.