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UK Dams Fail: Lives at Risk from Floods
15 Jul
Summary
- Britain's aging dams and canals need urgent upgrades to prevent loss of life.
- The UK faces a water crisis due to climate change and underinvestment.
- New reservoirs are urgently needed as no new ones have been built in 30 years.
Lord Deben, former environment secretary, has issued a stark warning regarding the state of Britain's water infrastructure. He stated that the nation's aging dams, aqueducts, and canals require immediate upgrades to avert potential loss of life due to flash floods. The UK is reportedly unprepared for the increasing frequency of torrential rain and severe summer droughts.
This impending water crisis is attributed to climate change, decades of underinvestment, and an over-reliance on Victorian-era infrastructure. Lord Deben emphasized that the cost of inaction "may well be measured in lives." He called for measures such as banning the paving over of front gardens to improve drainage.
Criticism was also directed at the lack of new reservoir construction in England for over three decades. Planned budget cuts to the Canal & River Trust (CRT) were condemned, with a plea for the incoming government to intervene. Urgent investment is needed to repair aging infrastructure and ensure these waterways can effectively prevent floods.
