View of RSPB Insh Marshes, a natural floodplain.
It would be difficult not to be aware of the floods south of the border with the devastation dominating the headlines and grabbing much political attention. Scotland may seem to have escaped relatively lightly but the distressing consequences of flooding will be fresh in the minds of the people of Comrie and parts of Dumfries & Galloway, which have experienced their fair share of flooding in recent times.
In Scotland, SEPA estimate 1 in 22 homes are at risk of flooding whether from rivers, the sea or urban surface water run-off. There has never been a greater need for a co-ordinated and sustainable approach to managing floods, one that will enable us to adapt to the changing climate which looks set to bring ever more extreme weather events. But there is a solution, and the answer lies in working with nature and natural processes. There are obvious steps that can be taken such as avoiding developing new housing on floodplain areas but, crucially, we must also challenge the land management practices that contribute to flooding.
Picture a landscape where the upland vegetation is overgrazed, moorlands and peatlands are drained and damaged, soils are compacted by the trampling of livestock, rivers and ditches artificially straightened and scrub and hedgerows have been removed. It is widely accepted that flood water flows through this type of landscape far faster than one which contains healthy peatlands, wetlands and other natural features that intercept and slow the run-off of water. Farmers and other land managers have a valuable role to play in storing and stemming the flow of water across their land. We need to ensure this happens via means such as strong agricultural cross compliance measures which protect these natural features and constructive support mechanisms for farmers who go above and beyond the regulatory baseline to provide flood risk benefits to the wider community.
One thing that is certain is, despite the calls of many, dredging of watercourses is not a magic cure all. Indeed, it is far from it, as shown by a recent report by water management experts CIWEM (Floods and dredging – a reality check). The report acknowledges that dredging may play a role in flood risk management in some cases but, in the wrong place, it can have devastating unintended consequences. Dredging speeds up water flow through river channels thereby potentially increasing flood risk to downstream communities and it can destabilise river banks, increase erosion risk and lead to damage of essential infrastructure such as bridges. Dredging can have considerable adverse effects on biodiversity with for example, damage to vital spawning grounds for Atlantic salmon.
It is essential that all dredging is carefully planned and regulated, and its impact is monitored to ensure it does not increase flood risk nor have adverse impacts on wildlife and water quality. The advantages and risks of dredging must be fully considered in the context of a sustainable approach to flood risk and flood plain management – this is not the time for knee-jerk interventions that may magnify the problems. Giving carte blanche to potentially damaging activities like dredging is a reckless and potentially costly gamble.