Building on flood plains should be forbidden!
Water meadows have a very important purpose: to provide a soakaway for flood waters and to keep floods away from existing buildings, animals and cultivated crops. Equally important is their value as wildflower meadows which provide a rich food source for insects, wildlife and grazing animals. In addition, wildflower meadows are a carbon sink as good as trees. For these reasons flood plains should be left fallow and undeveloped.
If water meadows are built on, there is a grave danger of subsequently finding out that there is an immense potential damage to people's homes, their property and even their lives. People who buy these houses will find it difficult and expensive to get insurance and they will probably lose money when they want to sell. This is in addition to the stress, inconvenience and loss incurred when their homes might become waterlogged.
If flood plains are built on, they will no longer be able to hold and absorb flood waters, which means the floods will have to be diverted to other areas. This already happens. Often, to protect the newly built houses, flood water is sent into farmers' fields. If a crop has been planted the farmer loses that, the cost of planting and the harvest. Other places have to be found for animals in sodden fields. Are housing developers going to recompense farmers and homeowners year after year?
It appears that the developers' main, if not only, interest is to make money regardless of the risk to people who buy their products. This is surely unacceptable. It would be far better to build on brown field sites and fill in existing empty plots. However, this is more difficult and costly.
Our legislators need to take a stand to protect the population and the environment. It should be mandatory to show the historical flood lines on maps showing proposed house building, or construction development, as well as the flood lines predicted for the coming century. Only then will house buyers be fully aware of the location upon which their houses stand, and the environmental impact it may have in the future.
Sheena Freeman | Dec 2023 | Issue 1
Comments