News & Events
Is the draft flood and water management bill going to address current and future flooding problems in the UK?
The summer floods of 2007 caused huge financial, physical, financial and personal damage to many households and communities around the UK. Reviews of flooding, such as the 'Foresight: Future Flooding Study2' (2004), the UK government's 'Making space for water' (2004) and Sir Michael Pitt's Review (2007) have all highlighted critical gaps in the management of flood risk in this country. These include outmoded approaches and organisational structures, the unknown impacts of climate change and an increase in the risk of flooding to individuals, communities and society more widely. Critically, current flood legislation is considered too rigid to be able to adapt a broader range of approaches necessary to respond to our increased flood risks.
The Draft Flood and Water Management Bill is designed to respond to these challenges through an engagement with concepts as 'adaptation' and 'resilience' and by recognising that a broader suite of measures is necessary to tackle flooding under conditions of uncertain environmental change. This includes potentially controversial measures such as allowing some places to flood. But will it work?
As part of our wider RELU funded research project on Understanding Environmental Knowledge Controversies: The case of Flood Risk we want to initiate a debate that asks the following question: Is the draft flood and water management bill going to address current and future flooding problems in the UK? We want to do this through an online debating forum called 'Debategraph' in which all interested and concerned individuals can actively contribute their views and opinions. Our aim is to use this debate to inform flood risk policy as part of our project's wider contribution to this crucial policy area.
If you have views and opinions on this issue or are just interested in being part of such a debate then please go to the The Draft Flood and Water Bill page on Debategraph ... and let us hear what you have to say.