The Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture says the Government is working to make the Island more resilient to the economic, social and environmental effects of flooding and coastal erosion.

Richard Ronan MHK has provided an update on work towards a national strategy on sea defences, flooding and coastal erosion.

A Government steering group is working with flood risk experts JBA Consulting Isle of Man to develop the strategy.

The steering group comprises members of the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA), Department of Infrastructure, Treasury and Manx Utilities.

The strategy will address surface water, river and coastal flooding and coastal erosion.

Overlay maps will be used to merge current levels of risk and future climate change projections and development plans, to provide a clear visual indicator of areas’ overall ‘rankings’ in terms of their susceptibility.

The maps will also be overlaid with such information as important infrastructure, community facilities and areas of culture of environmental significance.

The likely social, economic and environmental impact of flooding will be a major factor in determining which areas are the priority and whether the risk is to be monitored, dealt with in the long or short term or, in extreme cases, where a ‘managed retreat’ is deemed the only viable option.

‘The Government’s Agenda for Change identifies climate change adaptation as a significant challenge,’ said Minister Ronan.

‘We saw in December the devastating effects severe flooding had on our Island.

‘Being impacted by sea, swollen rivers, large volumes of standing water and the erosion of the coastline concern us all, whether householders, businesses or Government.

‘The economic and emotional impact of losing property and livelihoods to flooding or erosion can’t be over-estimated.

‘While we can never fully mitigate against the threats posed by nature, we need to ensure we are more resilient – both because of the massive financial impact flooding has and because of its disruption to our lives.

‘In the past, problems may have been dealt with on a piecemeal basis but this work, being conducted centrally through the Council of Ministers’ Environment and Infrastructure Committee, will lead to our first ever national strategy,’ the Minister said.

‘Really good progress has been made since we started work on the strategy in October and the steering group will finalise the strategy for July Tynwald.

‘We realise major investment may be needed but this high level examination will help us assess the scale of the threats we face and to prioritise.’

In the past week, the Minister and Ralph Peake MHK, DEFA’s Member for Environment, Safety and Health, plus representatives of JBA, have updated and sought the views of gatherings of stakeholders, including local authorities, environmental groups and those affected by recent flooding.

‘The views of stakeholders, including local authorities, will be important to us as we move forward,’ the Minister said.