THE TRANSITION VIEW ON FLOODING For immediate release
Whilst North Herts hasn’t experienced flooding as badly as other parts of the UK, these extreme weather events are going to become more common according to Transition Town Letchworth (TTL).
“Climate change is going to make the weather increasingly challenging, even here in the UK, so we need to take action to make our communities more resilient to this kind of event”, says Joanna Jefferson from TTL.
“Whilst we clearly rely on national and local government strategy to deal with this, it’s worth remembering that all of our small actions add up. It’s a good idea to clear gutters and drains regularly to keep everything running smoothly. If you can get out there between showers to dig your garden and aerate compacted areas of lawn with a garden fork, that will also help drainage.”
“Soils containing plenty of organic matter hold water better, whereas water just runs off poor soil straight into already over-stretched rivers and drainage systems. By purchasing organic British produce you encourage better land stewardship which will improve our agricultural land over time. Dredging rivers is only part of the solution, we need to reduce the overall strain on the system. Planting and retaining trees and hedgerows also helps.”
“In the longer term, if you’re thinking about changes to your property, make sure you consider drainage; don’t create more hardstanding than you need and consider using permiable materials for driveways and seating areas.”
“There’s also plenty we can do as individuals and as a community to reduce our contribution to what is a global climate problem. On the home front, minimise your energy use by ensuring your house is well insulated and turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees. Consider whether you could invest in some micro-generation such as solar panels and throw your support behind community owned renewable schemes. If this isn’t possible, look at moving to an energy provider who sells green energy.”
Anyone interested in taking these ideas further should get in touch with TTL via their website.