(Yicai Global) Oct. 19 -- China has designated Shanghai a pilot city for sponge city development and aims to make the city's infrastructure porous enough to withstand five-year and 100-year storms without waterlogging or fouling local bodies of water, state-run Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

Authorities are carrying out a deep-level regulation and storage pipeline project for the Shanghai-Suzhou River, the largest of its kind in the country.

The project is an important part of the sponge city pilot program, and construction of the test sections has already begun. It will transform the existing drainage infrastructure to prevent urban waterlogging and carry out initial rainfall regulation.

Shanghai, listed as one of the second batch of pilot cities for the national sponge city pilot program, will improve local flood control and drainage systems through sponge city development as part of the government's Five-Year Plan period for 2016-2020.

The sponge city is a new concept of storm-water management and refers to cities that demonstrate resilience in coping with climate change and storm by acting similar to a sponge. Such cities can comprehensively collect and store rainfall then purify it in related facilities.