Many communities flood risk—report

Press, 15 January 1986, Page 20

Many communities flood risk —report

PA Wellington One hundred New Zealand communities and 1.64 million people are threatened by floods, according to the National Water and Soil Conservation Authority. The Government, in an attempt to reduce the hazard of flooding and the high cost of reparation, will financially assist water catchment authorities to produce preventative flood maps and flood plain reports. A new Flood Loss Reduction Programme has been established by the water, and soil authority which is concerned at the increasing financial and social costs of floods in New Zealand.

Ms Judy Lawrence, a senior planner for the authority said a report by Dr Neil Ericksen, head of geography at Waikato University, had produced staggering results. Dr Ericksen’s findings show the Government has spent $1 billion (in 1984 dollars) on flood control and related works since 1941, representing a $2O million expenditure annually.

Financial contribution for flood damages from the private sectors was $1 to the Government’s $3, which represented an additional

expense of $250 million since 1941.

The combined private and Government expenditure for flood control and payouts is estimated at $3B million per annum. Dr Ericksen’s report says the Government has spent $33 million since 1963 on restoration and repairs to flood controls. Total Government and private expenditure for floods since 1941 is estimated at $1.3 billion. Ms Lawrence said the Government, no longer prepared to be the financial buffer for floods, was offering catchment authorities in New Zealand 50 per cent grant assistance to recognise potential flood danger areas.

Traditional flood control measures had proved inadequate, and a poor investment regardless of the many millions of dollars poured into flood protection every year, she said. “There will always be one flood that penetrates protection, wiping out the initial investment and assets builtup behind the security of those flood controls.” There was a need for the community to know the risks, and for local authorities to inform the community of flood risks, she said.

The report also points to a need for greater local authority planning and additional thought given to the likelihood of floods. . Work of the National Water and Soil Conservation j Authority now focuses on' advice to local Government A pilot study is being done by the Southland Catchment Board to develop ‘ standardised techniques for mapping the nature, fre-. quency and size of the flood risk for the public and Gov-' ernment departments, Ms Lawrence said. 1

The pilot study is the first of a number of recommendations outlined in Dr Ericksen’s report which are all expected to be adopted at, Government level when the report is published Ms Lawrence said.