Stormwater Management: An Overview

Abstract

Stormwater management (SWM) focuses on reducing runoff volumes and improving water quality. Stormwater is all rainwater or melted snow and hail that runs off pavements, streets, lawns, and other land surfaces and did not infiltrate into the soils or other permeable surfaces. Stormwater is of special concern because of its potential to cause floods and natural disasters. Also, it is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas and a source for water-disease transmission. Excess overland flow is due to intense storms and other severe weather phenomena combined with favorable hydrological conditions and land use issues of the built environment, which ultimately exposes gaps in SWM (McGrane 2016). Storms may also cause landslides. These mass movements eventually flow into streams, rivers, and coastal zones, causing riverbank erosion and potentially worse floods, as all these solid materials and debris reduce or block river flow sections and interfere with estuarine areas. Stormwater is characterized by high turbidity and may carry pollutants that can eventually compromise surface water quality, ecosystems, and human health (UN 2018a). Like other water issues, stormwater is also impacted by people's attitude and behavior towards waste disposal and other interactions with the natural and the built environment. Eventually, these will cause stormwater impacts upon ecosystems and societies.The importance of SWM is recognized in several ways within the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SWM is within SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). However, it directly relates to goals 6 (Clean water and sanitation), 15 (Life on land), and 13 (Climate action), and correlates mainly with goals 3 (good health and well-being), 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), and 14 (life below water). Sustainable SWM has an important impact on reducing poverty and ending hunger (UN 2018a). Nonetheless, the goals are broad-based and interdependent. To make SDGs successful, it is of central importance that the data regarding the 17 goals be available and understandable.