| | Urban areas, by definition, for the most are largely areas where impervious surfaces such as streets, sidewalks and parking lots, dominate. These surfaces can be defined as a physical barrier to the passage of water, or lack of infiltration into the soil, and with increasing urbanization, the percentage of „sealed” impervious surfaces also grows. Water that flows through the streets, sidewalks and parking lots, after the rains of high intensity, usually brings a lot of potentially dangerous chemicals and other harmful substances, which is then transmitted through the sewer system and discharged into rivers, lakes and seas. Water that occurs after heavy rains, is a constant source of pollution. The rate of runoff water, generated after the precipitation is influenced by many factors, such as: soil type, water permeability, cross-section and roughness of the final layer of the pavement, climatic factors (evaporation, transpiration), vegetation cover, etc. Permeable materials are widely applied as part of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to the management of rain runoff, Water-Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and Low Impact Development (LID). The streets and parking lots, as the highest percentage of impermeable surfaces in Novi Sad, during high intensity rainfall, often retain water, becoming non-functional. As one of the elements of sustainable eco-materials, permeable surfaces can be applied in urban areas of Novi Sad as a pavement for: pedestrian paths, sidewalks, driveway, parking lots and pavements, for parts of the town with lower traffic intensity. The paper will present the problem of water retention at some locations in Novi Sad during the heavy rains and the possibility of applying different permeable materials as part of Low Impact Development practice, in order to reduce the negative impact of urbanization. |
