Floods becoming a regular occurrence
I HAVE to agree with Jonathan Ruscoe's letter. Most people try to ignore global warming until it affects them, so to someone unaffected, why should they use their car less and take the bus, or use less electricity?
One other thing that is mis leading, is that these officials who say it's a one in 1,000 or 100- year event; what rubbish. Over the last few years, we've had floods in Hull Carlisle, Tewksbury, Boscastle, and now Cockermouth, so how can they say this? It may be the first time for Cockermouth in 1,000 years, but it's not where it happens, it's the fact that it has; and it's not every 1,000 or 100 years, it's happening nearly every year somewhere in the country.
Trevor Munton-Willis
Milton Road, Exeter
Comments
by Cees Meijburg, Exeter
Sunday, November 29 2009, 2:58PM
“I am sure global warming is a fact of life, however whether the recent floods have anything to do with it is something I doubt.
Why don't they dredge the rivers and canals and stop them from silting up in the first place. I hear the nature lovers say well you will ruin the environment and it wil destroy the local habitat for thousends of animals. Well first of all I don't think floods will help their habitat either! I am a nature lover and what will happen is when you dredge a river/canal you exchange one habitat for another, but at least you don't have to worry about your house being flooded every few years and the local habitat being totally destroyed by the strong currents. The next argument will be that it wil undermine the foundations of the bridges, well strenghten them, this must be cheaper then having to built a new bridge. I lived in Holland for 20+ years and we did not have floods, the canal and river system is maintained and looked after, the government spends money on this. When bad rains are expected they increase the flow rate the pumping stations pump water away into the lakes and seas, before the bad weather hits. I know Holland is flat but every autum and spring they get the run off water from te rivers that start in the Alps, The Rhine, The Maas and the Waal. Thye have proper floodplains and don't built houses on them, unlike the UK.
I know Holland is a very different landscape but lessons could be learned from our European neighbours.”