Hyderabad and Warangal are the latest cities in India to embrace the Sponge Park concept. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) plans to set up sponge zones across the city at a cost of ₹20 crore, while Warangal is integrating similar features into its urban design. But what exactly are “Sponge Park” and why are cities rushing to adopt them?
Sponge parks are engineered green spaces designed to absorb, filter, and slowly release rainwater—just like a sponge. They reduce surface runoff, prevent urban flooding, recharge groundwater, and cool city temperatures. With elements like shallow basins, native plants, permeable soils, and rain gardens, they mimic natural ecosystems lost to rapid urbanisation.
India’s urban areas are seeing more frequent floods, water scarcity, and heat stress and all worsened by uncheckd construction and sealed land surfaces. Sponge parks offer a nature-based, low-cost alternative to conventional grey infrastructure like storm drains and concrete channels.
“Even moderate rainfall now causes waterlogging because we’ve built over natural drainage,” explains Dr S Janakarajan, water expert. “Sponge parks restore some of that lost ecology.”
Beyond managing water, sponge parks also:
Inspired by China’s Sponge City initiative, Indian cities like Chennai, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and now Hyderabad are testing sponge parks as part of their climate resilience strategy. Chennai’s Dr MS Swaminathan Wetland Eco Park is a recent example, already helping reduce flood risk in Porur.
As cities grow hotter and wetter, sponge parks offer a simple idea with powerful impact: build with nature, not against it.
Share
Deodorant Side Effects: What Daily Users Need to Know
Vishal Bhardwaj Turns 60: Celebrating Six Masterpieces That Brought Literature to Indian Screens
