Communities across South Wales were affected by flooding this weekend as a result of Storm Bert. Homes were flooded and communities were evacuated to higher ground as rivers burst their banks, leaving many people devastated by the damages. 

The impact from the floods can be seen across the catchments. Roads were blocked from landslides, green spaces got covered in silt, and bridges were either damaged or swept away completely by the flow. And with the high waters came a deluge of different pollution sources as well. Litter was carried from otherwise unreachable places, topsoil carrying precious nutrients washed away, and raw sewage pumped into rivers making water undrinkable. Not to mention the invisible pollutants which have also likely made their way into the water. These include things like pesticides, herbicides, and forever chemicals to name a few. 

I sympathise with anyone who has been directly affected by the flooding, having experienced flooding at my family home in 2015. We woke up to water pouring into the house on Boxing Day morning, having no choice but to evacuate. Events like this take days to clear the debris and damage, and months to recover emotionally. 

And I know I’m not alone in this experience, as unfortunately this has become a very common issue here in Wales. Every new named storm brings the potential for more flood events, and these storms are getting more frequent and more severe as time goes on. The latest report from NRW estimates that 1 in 8 properties in Wales are at risk of flooding. This is a staggering amount, and a real warning of things to come. 

The increasing number of big storms and heavy rainfall are a direct result of climate change. As global temperatures increase, more water is absorbed into the atmosphere. Higher temperatures also warm our seas, giving them more energy to build bigger storms. Bigger, more powerful storms carrying more water only increase the risk of flooding. Coupling these effects with land use change around our rivers and seas mean that communities become less resilient to floods. This also means our waterways become less effective at dealing with floods through natural processes. 

But there’s still time to stem the flow on flooding and reduce the impact to people and wildlife. Events like this one are exactly why our Stand for Nature youth forum came up with the Save Our Taff campaign. We need more action to protect our rivers, and to prevent flooding from having such a negative impact. We need more awareness about this issue, to encourage more people to lobby for action. 

Climate change may be on our doorstep, but let’s not stand around waiting for it to flood through the door again…