The Netherlands is renowned for its flood prevention work – but a group of Dutch students have been receiving lessons in the subject in Liverpool.
A group of master students In water management visited the city to learn from the way the residents of the Woodlands Estate, Netherley have been engaged to help them manage their risk from flooding.
Six houses on the estate were flooded in September 2012 with devastating effects to the householders.
A Government grant of over £300,000 was received with ist mostly being spent on providing protection to about 30 properties that followed the line of the Netherley Brook.
Generally houses were provided with flood doors, flood airbricks, non-return valves, brickwork sealant and cement work repointed where needed. Through the maintenance and repair programme and the protection works the properties are now much better defended against flood risk.
Crucial to the success of the scheme was the close involvement with the Residents Association and newly formed Flood Group at. The countrywide Charity the National Flood Forum supported the residents throughout the two years of the flood programme that included work with local theatre, schools and Merseyforest.
Local Councillor Claire Glare said: “While the Dutch are masters in large capital water resilience schemes they have less experience of being involved with local residents in smaller projects and the Woodlands estate showed them what could be achieved,.”
Jamie Riley from the city council’s Environment and Emergency Resilience Unit, said: “Community resilience is a very important strand of work which we continue to promote to ensure that the people of Liverpool are as well prepared as they can be for the risks and hazards that issues such as severe weather present.”
The students are pictured with local residents.
