Urban Drainage Systems For Houses

Drainage refers to the removal of water from the surface or sub-surface of an area. Drainage is a term that now commonly refers to the sewerage system of a city or a town or a residence. A more apt term would be sustainable drainage system. These systems are designed in a manner to reduce the impact of new and existing urban development with respect to surface water discharges. Dirty water that runs off or discharged in the surface is collected, stored, and cleaned before being released back into the environment or other water resources in a condition that would cause the lowest environmental impact.

Some underdeveloped and conventional drainage systems caused flooding and contamination of the groundwater resources that were used for the provision of drinking water. Modern drainage systems envision and implement a drainage system that would do all of this with minimum energy input, from a natural source such as sunlight, or zero energy input. They are also designed to be hardy and long lasting, and built with materials that are environmentally friendly and aesthetically appealing.

Some urban drainage systems use pervious concrete to build pavements. This concrete is of a highly porous nature. The water from precipitation directly passes through and reaches the groundwater source. Such concrete is typically used in parking areas, areas with thin traffic, residential streets, pedestrian sidewalks, etc. It helps in protecting water quality to a great extent. Pervious concrete is also known to reduce the load of pollutants entering the ponds and rivers as it acts as a natural filter.

However, it is recommended that the pervious concrete is regularly cleaned to prevent reduction in permeability of water. This can be done through vacuum cleaning and pressure washing. Permeable paving surfaces can also be made of thin plastic rings connected by an interlocking design. The advantages are that such surfaces manage water runoff that would otherwise cause erosion and siltation. They are effective in controlling pollutants. Only the groundwater seeps through and the other pollutants and heavy metals are effectively captured and not allowed to flow.

The voids sometimes have naturally occurring micro-organisms that would bio-degrade even car oils. However, the cost is high and is not a replacement for conventional paving systems. This type of pavements can be part of a larger system for management of runoff or storm water. Porous turf and open-jointed concrete blocks are being increasingly used these days to improve drainage in urban settings.

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