ACCorDInG To ThE Un-bacKed
InTErGovErnMEnTAl PAnEl on ClIMATE
ChAnGE, sea levels coUld rise BY UP
To 59CM BY ThE EnD oF ThE CEnTUrY
this may need to become the rule, rather than the sustainable drainage systems (SUDs), could also help.
exception. But, as the 2007 floods demonstrated, it isn’t Traditional urban drainage is designed to channel water away
only homes and businesses that are vulnerable. “Critical from towns as quickly as possible, but this can increase the
infrastructure, such as switching stations and water risk of flooding elsewhere. With SUDs, rainwater run-off is
treatment works, was less defended against the floods handled locally. And then there are practical measures, such as
than we expected,” says Sir Michael, whose interim report london’s tideway tunnel. Today, if the capital’s victorian sewers
emphasises the need for increased levels of preparedness overflow, untreated sewage is forced into the Thames, but
for individuals and organisations. the 30km tideway super sewer will capture offending flows to
The initial findings also highlight the impact of surface help keep the river clean.
water flooding. While a high proportion of rainfall is normally
soaked up by the ground, in the weeks up to June 2007, Sea change
persistent, heavy rain saturated it. Sir Michael believes the Inland flooding isn’t the only problem. Defending Britain’s
country is poorly prepared: “The Environment Agency is well coastal communities from the sea is a much greater
geared up for river and coastal flooding, but we now need to challenge, and one that in some areas of the UK will be
strengthen its role to cover surface water.” compounded by a sinking of the land. During the Ice Age,
areas of Europe were weighed down by glaciers, while land
10 Managing the risk on the perimeter, including southern England, rose up in a
While the Environment Agency is currently responsible for the see-saw effect. Since the glaciers melted, this raised land has
UK’s rivers, other sources of inland water that can contribute been gradually sinking back down, causing concern over the
to inland flooding are managed separately. Sewers are looked future impact on flood risk.
after by water companies, and road and railway drainage is But when it comes to protecting our coastal communities,
managed independently. Co-ordinating drainage management the fiscal rules are tough. “Government funding is only
by expanding the Environment Agency’s remit could make coming through with a benefit-to-cost ratio of 6 or 7 to 1,”
a big difference. It’s a role the Environment Agency would says Atkins’ heijne. “Most businesses would bite your hand off
welcome, says King. “We’d see ourselves as advisers, providing for that level of return on investment.”
the necessary tools, methodologies and techniques to local It is estimated that, in Britain, at risk coastal assets are
authorities, water companies and others,” he explains. worth around £130 billion. “Many coastal defences will
“however, many of the solutions are very local, so local be renewed and raised without question,” says King. “But
authorities would have to be at the heart of it.” we have a limited budget and so will need to prioritise
“The extent of the problem is better understood now,” certain stretches of coast. We face some difficult choices in
says Ian heijne, director of Atkins’ rivers and coastal business, managing the change.”
which works closely with the Environment Agency. Flood Coastal realignment – which often means surrendering
protection funding in the UK has increased significantly in reclaimed land to the sea – goes against five centuries of
the last seven years and is set to rise to around £800 million orthodoxy. But, cradled between the rivers Crouch and roach
annually. But, adds heijne, so has the need. on the Essex coast, Wallasea Island paints a more positive
Planning policy is now considered very important. recent picture of coastal realignment. The island is at the centre of an
government guidance (PPS25) aims to ensure that flood risk ambitious multi-agency landscape restoration plan.
is taken into account at every stage, although it stops short of The royal Society for the Protection of Birds (rSPB), which
banning construction on floodplains. has a lead role in the project, hopes to revert the island,
Strategic planning tools, such as Catchment Flood now largely farmland, to its original state: a mosaic of tidal
Management Plans developed by the Environment Agency, will mudflats, creeks and saltmarshes. Creating a wildlife habitat
take a more holistic approach to long-term flood management is only one of many benefits. “hydrodynamic assessments
for individual river catchment areas. local initiatives, including show that by allowing the area to flood on a one in a 100-year
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