China’s ‘sponge cities’ are not built for extreme flood events August 02, 2023 at 10:04PM

Flooding in China has now affected at least 30 million people and raised questions over the country's preparation for catastrophic weather related to climate change. Despite investing billions to protect against extreme rainfall with the creation of "cities like sponges", a climbing death toll in northern China has resulted in some people asking whether these tactics are effective.