The inspection platform for the Yuelai Sponge City is expected to begin trial operations at the end of August, according to an announcement made in the Liangjiang New Area on July 28.

With a total investment of 37 million yuan ($5.49 million), the platform consists of monitoring and management services and an information platform for the sponge city's construction.

Monitoring services will collect operational data from sponge city facilities, including rainfall utilization, water levels and river system data. The information platform will manage, analyze and display the monitored data to predict potential dangers in the water environment.

Monitoring stations collect data at surrounding facilities in the Liangjiang New Area. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

At present there are 47 operational monitoring stations in the Liangjiang New Area, and a total of 394 are expected to be built by the end of this year.

The platform will help the city control flooding, reduce disasters and accelerate the construction of sponge cities across Chongqing.

The information platform in the Yuelai Sponge City is expected to begin trial operations at the end of August in the Liangjiang New Area. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Selected with 15 others as a pilot city for the 2015 National Sponge City Program, the Liangjiang New Area has invested 2.4 billion yuan ($348 million) in creating public areas where water can be saved and reused.

As of 2016, Yuelai New City had completed 19 sponge projects with another 40 government-funded projects under construction. The total sponge city program entails 75 construction projects, covering 18.67 million sq m and costing 4.2 billion yuan.

Chongqing aims to convert 80 percent of its public spaces by 2030. During this year's annual session Premier Li Keqiang called for the construction of more sponge cities to solve urban flooding.

The Yuelai Convention and Exhibition Park is a vital part of Yuelai's sponge city project. Lush gardens and ponds retain rainwater, which can then be reused. [Photo by Liao Xuemei and Zhang Jinhui/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Edited by Zachary Dye