As much as precipitation constitutes a vital element for man and his environment (recharging of rivers and groundwater, development of vegetation, change of seasons, etc.), rainy episodes generate volumes of water sometimes difficult to control, accumulating in low points, flooding habitable areas and creating stagnant pools. These rainy episodes, if poorly managed, can cause multiple effects with an impact on health, material goods, economic development and the environment.
In addition to climate change, which is materialized by the increase and multiplication of extreme weather events and can cause more intense and more frequent episodes of rain resulting in increased runoff and flooding.
Combined with the growing urbanization which is mostly characterized by the spontaneous construction and development of unplanned human settlements, often installed in areas that are not very suitable for habitat (lowlands, floodplains, swamps, shores, etc. .) and “illegal” that absorb a population in search of economic opportunities, expose people and goods.
For ECOIA, a support structure for decision-makers, it is extremely urgent to integrate these aspects (climate change and urbanization) within the framework of our rainwater management missions, by considering the impacts of climate change in terms of frequency or intensity and also taking into account the importance of the urbanization process in order to develop innovative models, in technical terms and beyond, because experiences have proven that a technical and technical approach is not enough and the taking into account the users and the characteristics of these neighborhoods is necessary for the implementation of concrete actions to reduce vulnerability to climatic hazards and to be able to guarantee living conditions in healthy spaces.