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in Alicante, a floodable park that prevents flooding

Spain is particularly exposed to climate change due to its arid climate and geographical position. In urban coastal zones, the emergence of recurrent rainfall events is producing increasingly frequent floods. This is the case in Alicante in south-east Spain.

The town is home to La Marjal park, designed and operated by Aguas de Alicante (AMAEM), a joint company formed by SUEZ and the local authority. As well as offering a conventional venue for leisure activities, the park is also floodable in the event of heavy rain, and can store up to 45,000 m3 of water to reduce the risk of flooding. The rain enters the soil and is stored in underground networks, which can convey the water to the wastewater treatment plant for treatment and then reused mainly for irrigation or evacuated. Because it is able to retain water, the park acts like the marshes (marjales) found on the Mediterranean coast that naturally regulate the water cycle. Numerous species characteristic of this habitat have been introduced to contribute to the workings of the park, which is open to all the town s inhabitants and is now home to a wealth of biodiversity.

La Marjal park is an example of green infrastructure offering a nature-based solution to coastal towns that need to strengthen their resilience.

www.suez.com

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