Floods Again

Floods Again: Let’s Have Positive Action Now!

Rain! More Rain! Floods. Thank God that there were no deaths this time, but, we never seem to learn. We knew that this would happen, but what did we do about it? Year after year, after year. When are we going to be pro-active and do preventative work? When are we going to clean up our upriver waterways, streams and canals that are filled with all kinds of garbage at the end of the dry season, just before the rains begin? Why don’t we clear up the areas which we know are occupied by squatters and clogged streams and drains? Most of all, when are we going to start working together with our people in communities, little villages and towns? In the long run, it is the people who suffer the most and will pay the most.

When are we going to stop the deforestation on steep hillsides and catchment areas? When are we seriously going to promote a culture of conservation and prevention in all aspects of management, including flood risks, from Government departments to the Man in the Street? When are we going to develop co-operation and unified action among and between all Government departments that are responsible for our living resources? When are we going to stop “Quick Fix”: short term planning and introduce medium and long term plans and projects?
There are more rains to come; let us prepare for them now. With Climate Change a fact, there will be greater rainfall, greater floods and severe droughts. We cannot completely reverse things but we can mitigate them! The depths and degree of the impact and downstream effects on human lives depend on human activities.

Emphasis must now not be on short-term solutions but should focus on maintenance and long-term management.

Molly R. Gaskin
President, The Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust.