Dagenham and Rainham MP hosts second Flood Action Meeting.
The second meeting of the group set up by Jon Cruddas MP to focus on reducing the flood risk to Rainham took place on 23 June.
Senior staff from Havering Council, Thames Water, Environment Agency and Network Rail met with Jon Cuddas and his team to discuss progress with actions to prevent a recurrence of the floods that affected so many families across Rainham village.
The meeting heard that several developments have taken place since the group’s initial meeting on 8 March:-•
Thames Water and the Council are proactively clearing road gullies and drains ahead of severe weather warnings in higher risk flood areas.•
Environment Agency and Council have piloted a different approach to managing water levels on Rainham Marshes which should take some pressure off watercourses through Rainham.•
Thames Water have installed depth meters in the drainage system which raise alerts when water levels are rising.• Havering Council is due to produce its report and conclusions from the August 2020 flood.
Mr Cruddas told the Havring Daily:“ I am pleased that this initiative has brought together all of the organisations that have vital parts to play in protecting people and their homes in Rainham. There is now a clear focus, what I now want to see is a detailed action plan and then its implementation.
“Some of the necessary actions will be good straightforward maintenance of road gullies, drainage systems and keeping culverts and watercourses clear and free running. There will also be a range of more medium and long terms measures to better look after our local environment and water management during period of very heavy rainfall.
“I am committed to making sure that these actions are delivered to prevent the awful disruption and distress that so many families suffered in the last twelve months. Some families have only moved back to their homes in the last four weeks from the August 2020 flood. This must not be allowed to happen again.”
Now there’s something new, straightforward maintenance of road gullies, drainage systems and keeping culverts and watercourses clear and free running. Who would have ever thought that such actions were necessary? As many will remember, this work was always done in the past, but Havering Council, over the years, has cut back on such measures in an effort to save money. It now finds itself spending more money to resolve the problems caused by the lack of maintenance. Makes sense! Save money for a rainy day, pun intended, and pay more to resolve the problem afterwards. That’s logic from our council for you.