Nature-Based Rainwater Management in Ptuj: A Simple and Sustainable Solution

Date: 28.04.2025

A best practice from the GreenScape CE partnership highlights how the city of Ptuj in Slovenia addressed rainwater management in a natural and sustainable way. Rainwater harvesting has been practiced there since the 19th century, but with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events due to climate change, the small artificial pond used for water collection began to overflow, causing floods in a nearby school. Instead of relying on grey infrastructure, the city implemented a simple and effective nature-based solution: they created an additional, periodically flooded pond. This new pond floods once a year, forming a temporary water feature, and for the rest of the time, it functions as a grassy park for the community. With minimal intervention—mainly earthworks and the installation of a sluice gate—Ptuj successfully managed stormwater while enhancing public space. This example shows that nature-based solutions can be simple, cost-effective, and beneficial for both people and the environment.