Environment minister launches flood strategy to combat impact of climate change in Wales

Tom Bodden in the Daily Post (UK): Future public spending on flood defences in Wales must be targeted at communities most at risk, a new strategy suggested yesterday. Fresh plans for managing flooding and coastal erosion aim to respond to the increasing threat from climate change.

One in six properties in Wales is already at risk from inundation. Predicted changes to rainfall patterns and rising sea levels will significantly increase the risk in the future. Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson said: “Images of the devastation that flooding can cause have been all too present in the media over recent years and this growing risk means that it is more important than ever for householders to take action to protect their properties from the threat of flooding.”

Launching a public consultation, she said: “However there is also a key role for the Welsh Assembly Government to play in ensuring that adequate funding is made available for flood defences and that such money is targeted to the areas that need it most.

“We must also ensure that when flooding does strike there is an effective and coordinated response from authorities that offers real benefit and assistance to those affected.”

The Assembly Government wants views on its objectives, including reducing the impact on communities and businesses. The strategy aims to engage people in the response, and prioritise investment in the ‘most at risk communities’. Coastal flooding plans have failed to deal with the threat of erosion, according to a cross-party report by AMs…

The flood plain of the River Dee in North Wales, shot by Dennis Turner, Wikimedia Commons via the Geograph UK project, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license