U.K. agency to increase flood protection
The number of properties in England and Wales at significant risk of flooding could increase from 570,000 in 2009 to over 900,000 by 2035 at current levels of flood-defense investment; the Environment Agency says it is planning for the long haul, saying it is already planning to manage a predicted 1 meter rise in sea levels, and a predicted 10 percent increase in wave heights and wind speeds, both of which will increase the threat from coastal surges
The U.K. Environment Agency has announced plans to increase flood protection to 200,000 homes and businesses in England and Wales by 2015.
Launching the 2010-15 corporate strategy at its annual conference in London, the organization warned that more properties face an increasing risk of coastal erosion and flooding from rivers and the sea due to climate change and population growth.
The number of properties in England and Wales at significant risk of flooding could increase from 570,000 in 2009 to over 900,000 by 2035 at current levels of flood-defense investment.
Since 2007 the Environment Agency has completed 102 flood-defense schemes protecting over 63,000 additional homes in England and Wales.
Earlier this year, construction started on a £50 million defense project to protect 16,000 properties in Nottingham and work has recently begun on the final stage of a £29 million scheme in Weston-Super-Mare to protect 4,500 homes and businesses from the risk of coastal flooding.
Work is also well underway at Dymchurch, Kent, where a £60 million scheme is increasing protection to 2,471 residential properties and 7,672 hectares of agricultural land.
The Environment Agency is already planning to manage a predicted 1 meter rise in sea levels. The Thames Barrier and its associated schemes, which protect 1.25 million people across the capital, will need to be upgraded or replaced by 2070 to cope with the effects of climate change.
By 2115, a predicted 10 percent increase in wave heights and wind speeds will increase the threat from coastal surges.
Robert Runcie, Environment Agency director of flooding and coastal-erosion risk management, said: “The Environment Agency plans to protect an additional 200,000 properties in England and Wales from coastal erosion and flooding by 2015.”
