Rain Garden—A Solution to Urban Flooding: A Review

Abstract

Rain gardens or bioretention systems are the best storm water management practices, which use natural processes of the hydrological cycle such as infiltration and evapotranspiration. Rain gardens were first coined for residential use in 1990 in Prince George’s County, Maryland which was an alternative to the conventional system of sidewalks and gutters. However, countries like Japan, China, Australia and U.S.A. are encouraging the use of rain garden these days for the sustainable development of the country. From the last few decades, the world is witnessing harmful results of urbanization. This has led to a rapid increase in impervious land cover and deterioration of the quality of the ecosystem. The impervious surface of concrete and asphalt seal the soil layers and causes excessive surface runoff, which leads to the problem of urban flooding. Also, chemical and oils falling from vehicles on roads get washed away with storm water and enters the natural water bodies leading to their pollution. Rain garden reduces and delays the flood peaks as well as helps in groundwater recharge and enhances the biodiversity. Moreover, its vegetation works as a filter media for storm water treatment. Rain garden is a low impact development (LID) technique having a long-term performance and is aesthetically pleasing. This paper quotes the benefits and chronological order of implementation of bioretention systems in urban cities having the problem of storm water management with an aim to create awareness among scientific communities.