Britain's storms and flooding
 

There may well be someone who is with the Environment Agency and can provide us with a good reason behind this. I noticed on the news tonight that the poor people of Hebden Bridge are STILL waiting for the flood defences to be either finished or even started in some cases. Please someone explain to me why we no longer dredge the rivers/canals? The surely simple answer to flooding is to dredge the watercourses as we used to, the spoil can be used for other projects, by deepening the channels this will increase the volume the river can handle. I am aware when I was at a marina years ago, the Environment Agency stopped us dredging and stated it was not good for the environment, so does this mean that flooding is perhaps? Is it me or is dredging, quicker and more cost-effective, think of the poor people suffering in this!

Whilst agreeing that dredging should re-commence, we should also stop building on flood plains, and paving over front gardens - the water has to go somewhere!

some areas you are not allowed to pave gardens for that very reason.

When my caravan port was built i was not allowed during construction to run a gutter from the caravan port into a ditch that feeds a river, in case it causes flooding down stream.

macafee2

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ameron-farmers

macafee2

I've now lost the plot :shrug:

We "know" that there is more flooding. A local river has burst its banks half a dozen times in the last few months. In previous years it might have been once a year.

Our population is growing so many, many more houses are being built. Near to us on the fields that drain into said river. So, fields that used to "soak up" some of the rain are now covered in housing.

The water now "floods" into the river that's already way up rather than "draining" into it over a longer period of time very quickly worsening the issues downstream.

Also, apparently, we need to plant some astronomical number of trees to counteract climate change. I'm not sure where these are supposed to be planted as the land they might have gone on is now covered in houses......

Maybe I just don't understand all the clever stuff/people that make/allow the decisions.

Andy.

are these houses built on flood plain?

macafee2

Hi,

Not those ones but a few miles downstream there are some new ones being built on the current flood plain. :eek:

So upstream we have several hundred new houses with a further 1K planned which is "dumping" runoff into the river while downstream we have new building on the existing flood plain.

I wonder how that's going to go over the next few years:duh::duh:

Andy.

The practice of building on flood plains will not stop until applications for development are refused. At the moment the price of building land in 'safe' areas is at a premium and flood plains are valued significantly lower.

The sticking-plaster of a percentage of development having to be "affordable" is rubbish* and frequently ignored by local council planning officers. Flood plains should be reclassified as nature reserves and get the same protection as protected species wild life areas.

Controversially, I'm not in favour of sector-wide rent controls because it distorts the market and leads to sub-standard housing. Better a free market than grossly inadequate living conditions. The ease with which new inexperienced landlords can prosper at the expense of disadvantaged tenants is wrong.


* many new houses are now being sold on leases rather than freehold and in so doing can be a guaranteed source of rising windfall profits, as well as the inflation of property prices, for the freeholders.

There is a drawback to river dredging, it is a double-edged sword which played a part in the flooding of central London in the 1920s. The drawback being that the tide is mightier than the river and while river dredging allows river water to flow out easier it also allows seawater to flow in easier too when the tide turns. An incoming tide on the back of a storm surge can cause much flooding and misery which can be compounded by other weather factors when they act in unison. The Thames Barrier was constructed to mitigate against this happening but it has its limitations and while London can be thankful for it other rivers are not so fortunate in being protected to the same degree.

just been out to check the immediate area. Gardens flooding, river up to the bridges, ditches doing all they can, forest flooding and a very minor road flooded.

Have spoken to a couple of home owners and they are getting worried, one was flooded a few years ago.

In 24 hours one of my 200L? water butts filled and over flowed.

macafee2