Government tasks infrastructure advisor to look into surface water flooding risk

The government has asked the National Infrastructure Commission to investigate how the risks of surface water flooding can be better managed, following a recent series of inland flooding incidents.

The commission said its surface water flooding study will look into the part played by organisations responsible for assets that impact on surface water flooding including water companies. It said it will seek to “identify improvements needed to England’s drainage systems to manage and mitigate surface water flooding in urban and rural areas.”

The commission will assess which options provide the greatest resilience and value for money and examine “current approaches to governance, funding and planning, including the roles of the Environment Agency and Ofwat.”

The terms of reference for the study note that “effective surface water flooding solutions are likely to require a holistic approach to water management at both local and landscape scale with actions needed across a range of sectors and including both built infrastructure and nature-based solutions.”

The commission intends to examine the opportunities for better flood management offered by sustainable drainage systems, blue-green infrastructure, and natural flood management, alongside hard engineering solutions to increase sewer capacity.

According to the commission, 3.2 million properties in England are at risk of surface water flooding which, at 62% of all flooding risk, makes it the nation’s most common flood risk. “More intense rainfall due to climate change and population growth all contribute to increased risks of this type of incident,” the commission said.

The Commission will embark immediately on work on the study launching a call for evidence in the coming weeks. A final report will be delivered to government by November 2022.

<