Construction of Urban Flooding Prevention System under “One City, One Executor, and One Network” Model: Case Study of Kunming, China

Abstract

Flood disasters have plagued developing countries and impeded sustainable city development as a result of global climate change and economic development. Chaotic urban flooding prevention system management is the current governance bottleneck in many cities and exacerbates flooding events. Sustainable rainwater management strategies require flexible implementation considering local characteristics, space-time factors, governance, and economic and technological issues to address deficiencies in drainage pipeline maintenance, network capacity, geographic information system (GIS) information, and funding. Kunming City, China, has implemented the “One City, One Executor, and One Network” urban drainage management model since 2014. This study analyzed urban flooding prevention under this model, government and drainage department operation, and GIS system construction and application to underground infrastructure. Results showed that over five years, urban flooding reduced by 57.5% despite continuous construction. The flooding duration at North Station Tunnel decreased from 72 h on July 19, 2013, to 14 h on July 20, 2017; no flooding occurred on July 20, 2019. This study proves that the implemented model is sustainable and can weaken the spatial-temporal distribution and intensity of urban flooding.