Floods

(asked on 26th April 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of which infrastructure is most effective in removing excess storm water to help prevent flooding.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 28th April 2022

Surface water flood risk, caused by storm water and excessive rainwater, is localised and complex. It is difficult to predict, often happening quickly and is exacerbated by impermeable surfaces and overwhelmed drainage networks. In England 3.2 million properties are at risk of surface water flooding, more than the number at risk from river and sea flooding, and this is likely to increase due to the effects of climate change and population growth if no action is taken to mitigate it.

There is no single solution to mitigating surface water flooding but rather a holistic approach, where everyone has a role in how we manage water and mitigate the risks we face. This includes flood defence schemes and nature-based solutions (such as sustainable drainage systems and other blue-green infrastructure), property flood resilience measures and ensuring we have a robust drainage system now and for the future.

As a local flood risk, it is the responsibility of lead local flood authorities, who have the operational lead and are best placed to understand, mitigate and respond to it. All lead local flood authorities will work with local communities and other bodies, such as water companies, to mitigate the risk as part of their local flood risk management strategy.

The Government is also taking action and last year restated its commitment to ensuring surface water flood risk is tackled. In July 2021 we published a progress update, including where further action is required, on our Surface Water Management Plan, and our response to the independent review into surface water and drainage responsibilities:

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surface-water-management-a-government-update).

The Action Plan and Review include 22 actions and 28 recommendations respectively, for a wide range of stakeholders to deliver, including the Government, Environment Agency and lead local flood authorities.

The Government is investing £5.2 billion in 2,000 flood and coastal erosion defences in England to better protect a further 336,000 properties. Approximately a third of these schemes will mitigate surface water flood risk, following changes in 2020 to the Government’s partnership funding rules.

Alongside this water companies, who are responsible for the maintenance and resilience of the drainage and wastewater networks, are producing the first cycle of non-statutory Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs), is currently ongoing. These plans are an important part of ensuring a robust drainage system and will help fully assess network capacity and develop collaborative solutions with local authorities and other bodies who are responsible for parts of the drainage system. The Government will be making these plans a statutory requirement through the Environment Act when the first cycle ends.

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