An expert in flood risk modelling and mapping has said overdevelopment can lead to flooding.
Specialist in coastal engineering at the University of East London (UEL), Dr Ravindra Jayaratne is 50 and from Sri Lanka, but lives near Charlie Brown’s roundabout in Redbridge.
In 1978, while he was in year five, he was caught up in "scary" floods in Sri Lanka - something which formed “part of the reason” he specialised in water.
He said: “I love hydraulics and as a civil engineer, it’s all about water management and how water flows – I was fascinated by that.”
Dr Jayaratne said floods can be driven by a storm surge or heavy rainfall.
The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report shows we’re in a “catastrophic era”, he said, with the temperature warming by 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
The impact of global warming will lead to “high intensity, more frequent flood events in the future”, he added.
Havering, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham are all areas that Dr Jayaratne has highlighted as more prone to flash floods - as demonstrated by multiple weather events in recent years.
According to Dr Jayaratne, the areas are at risk due to the lack of “flood mitigation measures such as sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDs)”, a popular technique applied by civil engineers.
He explained: “One of the techniques is to have a green roof [a roof covered in vegetation], so when it rains, the flow can be decelerated, slowing down the water which flows through drains or down the roads.
“Slowing down the speed of the flow means water has more time to go to the nearest water resource, such as a water treatment plant or to the rivers.”
He said there are “a lot of new developments” in Havering, adding that “overdevelopment can lead to flooding”.
This is due to the increased use of concrete, which can lead to “deforestation and losing existing land that could’ve helped slow down water flow,” he said.
“When we do urban planning, we need to plan properly and enhance the SuDs techniques by having more green roofs, another technique is permeable pavements, which would mean the surplus water can infiltrate and go inside the soil, lessening the volume of water,” said Dr Jayaratne.
Dredging seasonally is something else the doctor recommends to mitigate flooding.
However, the Thames Tidal Project - a scheme to upgrade London’s sewer system with a 25km tunnel due to be completed in 2025 - is a positive step in the right direction, Dr Jayaratne said.
He added: “We need to think about how we will cope in 2050, not just how we cope for the day."
Flood-risk mitigation
Despite Dr Jayaratne's expertise, Havering Council said to question if the borough's developments are causing flooding suggests its plans to build "high-quality homes for local people" constitutes overdevelopment, which it insists is "inaccurate”.
A council spokesperson said the cause of the most recent flooding (June 2021 and August 2020) was a "result of very intense rainfall, overflowing ditches and watercourses, the Thames Water sewer capacity and blocked drains caused by flood debris”.
They said any “major new development subject to planning permission should include drainage measures to ensure that there is no increase in flooding” and “strict guidance” is set.
One factor contributing to the problem is when front gardens are converted to driveways "without adequate drainage” - a modification which doesn't always need planning permission - the council spokesperson added.
But in a bid to prevent flooding, the local authority said drains are inspected for blockages and cleaned regularly across the borough.
It works with relevant agencies, such as the Environment Agency, Thames Water and Essex and Suffolk Water, to "improve the borough’s sewer network and to better predict future events”.
A Thames Water spokesperson said it works closely with developers and planning authorities to “ensure sewerage infrastructure can support growth”.
They insisted that where upgrades are needed to accommodate new developments, "they will happen”, with each application looked at individually.
The council urged the public to continue to help by “properly disposing of rubbish” and reporting any blocked drains.
Additionally, when this newspaper approached developers which are active in Havering, all insisted their projects do not contribute to flood risk.
A spokesperson for L&Q and Countryside, said: “Flood mitigation is a key part of the environmental design process for delivering much-needed homes in Havering.
“Development sites are assessed and designed to mitigate against potential flood risk, usually through a combination of sustainable urban drainage and attenuation, which forms part of the approved planning permission for the development.”
Wates said all of its development proposals "fully accommodate flood risk mitigation measures”.
There are “no flooding impacts arising” from any of its joint ventures, it claimed, due to “incorporating ‘sustainable drainage systems’ which manage and restrict the run-off of surface water.”
‘A dire warning’
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the United Nations' body for assessing the science related to the global heating crisis - has released a report which examines the impacts of the emergency on nature and people.
The Working Group II report was released this year, delayed from its scheduled release in September last year.
It states “human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks”.
Chair of the IPCC, Hoesung Lee, said the report is a "dire warning about the consequences of inaction”.
He added: “It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet.
“Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.”
The panel notes the world faces “unavoidable multiple climate hazards over the next two decades with global warming of 1.5C”.
It warns heatwaves, droughts and floods are already exceeding plants’ and animals’ tolerance thresholds, "driving mass mortalities in species such as trees and corals”, with the weather extremes occurring “simultaneously, causing cascading impacts that are increasingly difficult to manage”.
The Working Group II report is the second instalment of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), which will be completed this year.
Balgores Lane businesses reflect on ‘devastating’ June floods
Director of Oakleafe Claims, John Goodwin, who is in his 60s, said his company "lost everything” in the "devastating" June floods.
He said: “The building was completely submerged in water, we were out of the building for six months while it was being dried.”
The floods happened because "old-infrastructure" drains were “badly maintained”, he alleged.
“The night of the floods, water was rising and things were floating and we actually managed to clear the drains ourselves.
“Water was at the depth where a BMW car had people sitting on the roof, we couldn’t believe it.”
Following the flood, Oakleafe has dealt with many claims, especially in the Rainham and Essex area.
John said: “The impact has been dramatic for many people.
“There has been huge financial loss and many will never recuperate the costs."
A problem that John says has arisen from the disaster is a "lot of insurance companies now omitting flood cover”.
John's son - and group director of Oakleafe - Dean Goodwin said the June floods were what the industry calls a “serge event whereby you can’t predict the devastation it will cause”.
He added: “But when it happens it’s widespread and not isolated to one area.”
The 41-year-old said flooding is a long-term problem with issues occurring for “months, sometimes years, after the event”.
He said: “Every time it rains now we’re very nervous and we’re constantly looking at our cameras.
“Some businesses come down at 3am in the morning because you can’t sleep.”
According to Dean, the ratio between storm and flood damage and fire claims used to be equal, but now storm and flooding problems are 70 per cent of the claims Oakleafe deals with.
He said this figure is growing year on year.
In order to tackle the issue, Dean suggested weather warnings the Met Office holds could be made "more available”.
He also thinks building technology needs to "move on in terms of flood defences”.
Britcrown Pharmacy owner, Ali Suzangar, 52, said his business was impacted “badly” by the flooding.
He said: "We had to close for a few days until we could get back up and running.
“We still have sandbags outside and a drain barrier outside of the front door as we’re worried that it could happen again.”
Ali believes the problem is the “drains are old and they need to change the infrastructure”.
He added: “The drainage system needs to be made bigger to handle the amount of water that can fall.”
Swanky The Hairdressers' owner, Esh Town, 42, said she was unable to work after the flooding and “everything had to go through insurance”.
She said: “I was just in shock. It was only 10 minutes of rain, I only live down the road and we are always cautious as the water does come up very quickly.”
By the time Esh had reached the salon, it had been completely flooded and "everything had to be replaced”.
According to Esh, Thames Water is attending monthly to maintain the drains.
She said: “I don’t feel reassured and it’s a matter of wait and see.
“My insurance now needs tripling because I've had to make a claim to get everything done in here, I can’t have mouldy walls and damp on the floor.”
On top of the strain of the pandemic, Esh said it’s a "constant battle”.
She added: “The drains aren’t big enough for the amount the area is built up, and they won’t be replaced because it costs too much money, so we have to suffer.”
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