Poor planning of the urban drainage systems not only affects environmental and personal hygiene, but can also be a breeding ground for disease. Back to the 1700s, when London was already an international metropolis, the streets were filthy and smelly with open drains more than a foot deep stuffed with ashes, animal carcasses and even manure. Although the British applied underground piping for drainage in 1810, the situation was back to square one when cholera broke out in Europe. The packed and dirty streets became a hotbed of disease, and the cholera pandemic took about 32,000 lives in the United Kingdom. 

When Qingdao was a colony of Germany more than 100 years ago, Germen had established a powerful drainage system, pioneering the concept of splitting the rainwater and sewage drainage systems. This water infrastructure is still one of the best drainage systems among the cities in China.

Learn more from the full article (in Chinese only) written by Kenny Siu, Senior Advisor of AEC Group, published on Sing Pao on 18 April.