Britain is not ready to tackle with the problem of flash floods. Not enough is being done to secure millions of homes, towns, cities and business in England from the menace of flooding. Moreover, the nodal agency, responsible for sea and river defences has failed miserably in its effort.
Environment Agency has been found lagging in its commitment of keeping 63% of the country’s flood systems in target condition. A country like Britain, which is home to thunderous rains, has to be ever ready to tackle any kind of flooding.
Public Accounts Committee is calling for its head as to why it failed in it effort of protecting millions of homes and villages. The Committee in its 2001 report had asked for improvements on flood defences, but the new report states the gory picture that no significant action has been taken ever since and the situation has gone from bad to worse. However, some improvement has been reported as an additional 100,000 households have been protected from floods sine the past year.
An investigation into the autumn 2000 floods established that the established flood defences did not fail, but more were needed. And this is the change the PAC expected from the Environment agency. However, the agency cries for lack of funds. It has estimated that £150m per year is needed to bring all defences up to scratch.
The agency spent £162m constructing new flood defences during 2006-07 and £176m on maintaining the existing ones and another £39m on reacting to flooding incidents all of a sudden and raising public awareness.
The National Audit Office in its report estimates that 2million properties and 4million people are at risk of flooding every year in the country. Due to lack of flood defences, yearly floods cost each household up to £40,000 for repairing the damage caused by flooding.
However, the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, Barbara Young, said they had missed their defence system target by only 6%. But, they would make sure that they take the suggestions from the report very seriously.
The report has called for improved management of construction projects, greater awareness of flooding risks, spending should cover more towns and cities than rural areas.
But as climate change fast spreads its tentacles, it is expected that warmer, wetter winters in the UK will result in more people being affected by flooding, resulting in an increase in the number of homes and businesses at risk of flooding. That would put more burden on the Environment Agency, which is already lagging behind in its defences target.
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Via: Telegraph