To prevent and mitigate floods, the British town of Slough, Berkshire, has adopted Wuhan's "sponge city" approach by using plants and trees to absorb water and covering the land with natural vegetation or permeable materials to improve the drainage system, BBC reported on March 29. 

英国广播公司（BBC）29日报道称，为了防洪减灾，英国伯克郡小镇斯劳复制武汉“海绵城市”建设经验，利用植物和树木吸收水分，并用天然植被或透水材料覆盖城市道路以改善排水系统。

Wuhan is considered to be the leading city in China in terms of its "sponge city" practices. According to BBC, "the project in Slough sees participating areas turn a proportion of their urban land into sponge features to absorb rain and flood water." 

武汉被认为是中国领先的海绵城市。英国广播公司报道称，英国伯克郡小镇斯劳利用可吸收雨水和洪水的“海绵”材料改造城市土地。

▲ Children play at Qingshan Riverside Park, a place featuring "sponge city" approach.   Photo by Yang Tao

Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency in the U.K., called the project "extremely exciting" and said that if it works successfully, it could also be conceived on a larger scale around the world. 

英国环境署署长霍华德称，这个项目“令人异常激动”，并表示如果能复制成功，可以在全球范围内进行更大规模的推广。

The news drew a lot of discussion among netizens. Some gave a thumbs-up for Wuhan as its experience can be learned from by Western countries, while others had higher expectations for the city to increase its effort in building a sponge city and continuously improve the living environment to attract more talented individuals.

该消息经传播报道后，引来不少网友讨论。有网友对武汉建设“海绵城市”产生的效果深有感触：武汉的经验也能走出国门被西方国家学习，为武汉点赞！也有网友对武汉建设海绵城市有着更高期待：加大力度把武汉建设成为海绵城市，不断提高武汉居住环境，吸引更多人才来汉。

▲ Ziyang Park is paved with permeable layers on the ground.   Photo by Miao Jian

Edited by Zheng Xiaoan