Flooding explained Flood risk is a particular problem for the UK. The two primary causes are climate change, resulting in increased severity and intensity of rainfall, and new developments on floodplains, which are themselves at risk of flooding, and which increase the risk of flooding downstream.
It is estimated that:
- 1.5% of the country is at risk from direct flooding from the sea
- About 7% of the country is likely to flood at least once every 100 years from rivers
- 1.7m homes and 130,000 commercial properties, worth more than £200 billion, are at risk from river or coastal flooding in England
- Many more properties are also at risk from flash floods.
The effects of flooding, and managing flood risk, cost the UK around £2.2 billion each year: we currently spend around £800 million per annum on flood and coastal defences; and, even with the present flood defences in place, we experience an average of £1,400 million of damages.
Causes of flooding
managing_river_floods.pptx | |
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