In this episode of Smart Regions, we look at how new ceramic paving, developed in Spain’s Valencia region, aims to curb flooding risks during heavy rain in urban areas.
00:00When floods hit Spain's Valencia region last year following torrential rainfall, they were devastating and deadly.
00:10A reminder, it's said, of how dangerous climate change has become.
00:14Spain, like other countries, is having to adapt to more extreme weather.
00:19And in the Valencia region, EU-funded innovation has spawned a solution right under people's feet.
00:30Using ceramic tiles placed and spaced on their sides, this paving is designed to maximize absorption of water into the ground.
00:43Experts say it wouldn't prevent the type of disaster seen last year with the overflow of a river system,
00:49but does reduce the risk of flooding when it rains heavily in urban areas.
00:55It was originally developed as part of an EU-funded project coordinated by the Institute of Ceramic Technology,
01:23here in the city of Castellón.
01:26A second initiative called Drenca, also EU-supported and managed by the Institute,
01:32has focused on refining and industrializing the product.
01:36Its tests show that 10,000 litres of water can be absorbed per square metre per hour.
01:44There's a Spanish company that has been very interested and decided to start industrializing and commercializing this product.
01:53We've had meetings with different architecture studies and municipalities with the goal of incorporating this product in real projects in urban space.
02:03Projects like Drenca are driving innovation in the ceramics industry, long a cornerstone of the Valencia regional economy.
02:13Realmente este proyecto nació por varios motivos.
02:17Uno nació por un exceso de bajo valor añadido de stock de material cerámico.
02:23Nació por la necesidad de recoger la lluvia, la necesidad de evitar exceso de calor en las ciudades.
02:31The total budget for the Drenca project is just over €142,000,
02:38with around 60% coming from the European Regional Development Fund
02:43and the remainder from the Valencian government.
02:46All paving the way for a new approach to urban drainage in the face of climate change.
