Sir, – In 2000 my wife and I visited our son in Groningen, in the Netherlands, where he was studying at university. This fine city is 5.2 metres under sea level. It is still dry there. So whose finger is stuck in the dyke?
Ireland wake up and dry up. Perhaps we should invite the Dutch to replace the IMF and troika to really look after our liquid assets. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL McCULLAGH,
Mountpleasant,
Ballinasloe,
Co Galway.
Sir, – As concerns move from coastal flooding to our rivers, it is worth noting that the best flood defence is to hold the water at source.
Instead of baring our uplands in order to make sure that every hectare is “available for foraging” as required under the EU Area Aid, farmers should be encouraged to avail of forestry grants which should include existing scrub, the precursor to native woodlands.
A study in the UK published last year records that water sinks into the soil under native broadleaf trees at 67 times the rate at which it sinks into the soil under grass. This is because the tree roots transform the ground into a spongy reservoir that will absorb water and release it slowly.
Contrast this to foraging animals which concentrate intense pressure beneath their hooves, poaching the ground and compacting the soil into a hard pan which sheds rain as quickly as it falls.
These changes in grants would be revenue neutral, forestry grants simply replacing the current area aid. All that is lacking is the vision to make these changes, which would not only greatly alleviate riparian flooding downriver but reverse the widespread biodiversity destruction that is being forced on farmers to avoid loss of Area Aid grants.
Such a programme would not only alleviate flooding without expensive and limited engineering solutions, but would also provide essential wildlife corridors and amenities for recreational users. – Yours, etc,
TONY LOWES,
Friends of the Irish
Environment,
Eyeries,
Co Cork.