Flood Prevention: Proven Measures Revealed by WWF
As flood watches are in force for many parts of central Scotland today, WWF has called for a new approach to be taken to river flooding. New data was released on 27 February in reports by WWF Scotland at a Flood Risk Management Conference organised by the Scotland & Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER) in Dunfermline.
The data proves that sustainable flood management, or managing floods using natural forces, is highly effective at reducing flood risk. As well as being proven in its effectiveness, natural flood management is considerably cheaper than building concrete engineered flood defences and has multiple benefits for local authorities, farmers and landowners - as well as for many of the thousands of Scots whose homes are at risk of flooding.
The data, from the River Devon Natural Flood Management demonstration site in Clackmannanshire, are contained in a technical flood manager’s guide, Flood Planner: A Manual for the natural management of river floods*, that was launched alongside a companion, non-technical report introducing sustainable flood management, Slowing the Flow: a natural solution to flooding problems*. Both reports detail the techniques of Natural Flood Management applied to the River Devon in Clackmannanshire. |
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Upstream Causes
“We can now prove beyond all shadow of a doubt that natural flood management techniques are highly effective at reducing flood risk to communities. It is a very cost effective way of reducing flood risk and brings many other benefits to the local community, landowners, and local authorities.
“We urge the Scottish Executive to put this approach into practice on all major rivers throughout Scotland and protect the Scottish communities at risk from flooding in a sustainable and cost-effective manner,” said Mike Donaghy, Freshwater Policy Officer WWF Scotland
Sustainable flood management begins by looking upstream at the causes of flooding and not just the effects of flooding downstream. Climate change is bringing more rain, in greater downpours to Scotland. This fact, combined with the changes in land use over the years, such as draining of many wetlands, has meant that rivers are under increasing pressure to carry greater and greater volumes of water ever faster downstream. Unable to cope with these increasing pressures at certain times the river inevitably bursts its banks, often with devastating effects on communities.
To prevent river flooding causing problems, the whole river catchment needs to be looked at and natural techniques employed that work with the dynamic forces of the river, rather than trying to pit ourselves against them, as the traditional methods of hard engineered concrete defences do.
Cost Effective
“Natural flood management techniques help slow the flow of water, rather than just transfer it downstream, as happens when ‘hard engineering’ methods, such as concrete flood walls, are used. The sustainable way of dealing with river flooding problems effectively is to look at how the entire river is behaving and work with it on a catchment scale.
“Just using concrete flood defences in towns is like using sticking plasters on open wounds. The techniques of natural flood management have now been demonstrated as effective in reducing flood risk, and extremely cost effective too, and are available for all local authorities to use on rivers.
“If local residents do not see their council employing these sustainable techniques - and instead see them spending millions of tax payers’ money on concrete walls - they should ask why,” said Mike Donaghy, Freshwater Policy Officer WWF Scotland
Proposals
WWF Scotland proposals for sustainable flood management, in line with recent legislation, include:
· Floodplains restored to their natural size and function, along the entire river
· Extensive riverbank planting and restoration of native woodland to slow the flow and stop erosion
· The restoration of wetlands to absorb water and release it slowly.
· By reducing grazing and adopting flood-friendly practices, the agricultural pressure on flood processes could be alleviated with compensation being awarded to farmers and other land users.
· The voluntary purchase for demolition of properties at very high risk on floodplains and the relocation of residents to safely sited homes.
The River Devon project in Clackmannanshire, supported by HSBC as part of its Investing in Nature programme, demonstrates natural flood management techniques throughout an entire catchment and is the first project of its kind on such a scale in Europe.
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