KEEPING DAGUPAN CITY ABOVE WATER FOR

THE
NEXT 100 YEARS,
“CONSTRUCTING A SPONGE CITY”
SOLVING THE PROBLEMS OF INCREASING
L O C A L F L O O D I N G , W AT E R S H O R TA G E , A N D
W AT E R P O L LU T I O N C AU S E D B Y T H E
TRADITIONAL MODEL OF URBAN
D E V E L O P M E N T I N D A G U P A N C I T Y.

PROPOSAL: A NEW MODEL OF URBAN

D E V E L O P M E N T — T H E S P O N G E C I T Y.
CAUSES OF FLOOD AND NON-POINT SOURCE
POLLUTION
URBANIZATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS
WATER AND CITIES – THE CHALLENGES
•Growth in housing, population, and the economy
will put increasing demand on water supply and
wastewater services.

• Climate change is predicted to create hotter, drier

summers and flooded wet season. Extreme weather
events appear to be on the rise. This brings
implications for water availability and quality and
increased risks of flooding.
SOLUTION: RESTORING THE ‘NORMAL’ WATER
BALANCE IN THE CITY
DEFINING WATER SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN
Storm water management: storage, infiltration,
treatment, reuse, controlled discharge peak flows,
increasing evapotranspiration.

Wastewater management: reducing discharge, reuse,

enhance quality.
WHAT IS WATER SENSITIVE URBAN DESIGN?
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) is a philosophical approach to
urban planning and design that aims to minimize the hydrological
impacts of urban development on the surrounding environment.

Stormwater management is a subset of WSUD directed at providing

flood control, flow management, water quality improvements and
opportunities to harvest stormwater to supplement mains water for
non-potable uses (that is, toilet flushing, garden irrigation etc.).

APPLYING WSUD TO DAGUPAN CITY -

REHABILITATION OF
EXISTING MARSH AS WETLAND
SPONGE CITY - CONCEPT
construction of sponge cities—the construction of rainwater systems with low
impact development (Trial), pointing out that sponge cities, like sponges,
had good “elasticity” in adaptation to environmental changes and response
to natural disasters .
When it rains, the city will absorb, store, infiltrate, and purify water, if
necessary, the storage water will be released and utilized.
HOW?
Rehabilitation of Natural Wetlands / Constructed Wetlands
Attaining Natural Water Cycle.

BENEFITS:
Flood Mitigation, provides opportunities for integration of land use and
freshwater management and aims to protect and enhance natural
freshwater systems, by sustainably managing water resources and
mimicking natural processes. This approach will contribute to the enhancement
of ecosystems and will maximize long-term environmental, social, cultural
and economic outcomes.
New Sources of City Revenues – Wildlife and Recreational Park
NEW DAGUPAN SPONGE CITY – NEW APPROACH

Rigid existing drainage systems are unable to cope

with the higher rainfall intensities and increased
runoff. The traditional approach to addressing urban
flooding problems would be to increase the drainage
capacity by building more and larger pipes, canals and
storage basins. However, drainage planners and
designers are facing many uncertainties: climate
change scenarios are varying widely, especially for
long-term predictions, and it is unknown exactly how
future population growth and land use are going to
develop. Hence there is a significant risk of over- or
under-designing the drainage system if the traditional
design approach is going to be used. An alternative
approach is required to create more flexible drainage
systems that can adapt to future changes.
NEW APPROACH:

The new approach has additional benefits as

integration with urban green infrastructure, such as
parks, improves urban living quality; helps to address
water quality issues; and decreases the urban heat
island effect. Collected and stored water can also be
used for other purposes thus reducing the use of
piped water, for instance, water stored in retention
ponds could be used to water gardens during dry
periods.
CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS – DAGUPAN CITY
“FIRST SPONGE CITY IN THE PHILIPPINES”
Wetlands - Floodwater Storage and Treatment, Biodiversity Park & Wildlife,
Wastewater Treatment & Re-use
AMENITIES
a Water “Sponge” developed, area which is a community square during dry weather
and a retention basin during heavy rainfall.
AMENITIES:
Urban storm water runoff enables cities to mitigate or reduce the impact of
natural disasters and environmental changes, and to protect and improve
the ecological environment as sponges.
PROPOSED APPROACH
“Sponge City” should be able to cope with different return periods of rainfall to prevent flood
disasters, rationally use rainwater, and maintain a good hydrological and ecological
environment.
Sponge city construction should adopt corresponding engineering and non-engineering measures
according to the rainfall return periods at residential, regional and basin levels, so as to realize
scientific management.
Sponge City (SC) are well recognized for their effectiveness in reducing stormwater pollution; they
contribute to reduce stormwater volumes and flows and reduce the cost/damage from
flooding,
TURNING PROBLEMS INTO ASSETS:
PROTECTING COASTAL RESOURCES WITH
CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS
We need a better solution to Keep Dagupan City Above Water!
“Many systems have reached the end of their useful design lives.
Older systems are plagued by chronic overflows during major
Rainstorms”.
To be successful the “solution”must be…
• broadly effective at meeting water quality standards
• affordable and cost-effective to build and manage
• resilient to environmental change
Preserving wetlands, along with other flood control measures, can
offer a degree of protection against flooding that is often more
effective and costs less than a system of traditional dikes and
levees. If more communities protect existing wetlands and
increase the quantity of wetlands through restoration projects,
we will be better protected against the consequences of floods.
 CONTACT US:

For Site Assessment, Planning, Design and Construction, call us:

Eng’r. Valentino Dimla, Jr.

Lic. No. 20098
Mechanical Engineer/ Consultant/Design Engineer
Mobile: 09198708526 / 09555022750

Bryan Gamboa
President, CEO
Mobile: 09171161880 / 09560811952