Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
These results show that the marginal benefits
of Scheme A exceed its marginal costs, such that
the incremental increase in benefits is greater than
the incremental increase in costs by a factor of
1.083. Scheme C by itself is the best value, but
Scheme A is still highly worthwhile and provides
the standard of protection appropriate to such a
large and important urban area. A variant of
Scheme A is being implemented.
record' were winter rather than summer floods, as
is usual in the region.
Recent research for Green Cross UK
(Penning-Rowsell 1998) showed that the
economic impact was severe. This was especially
the case in Poland, where 25 per cent of the
country's population was affected (Bednarz
1997); 23 per cent of the nation's buildings are
in the flood-affected regions, and 26 per cent of
Poland's GDP is generated there. Agriculture,
transport, trade and tourism were the sectors
most seriously affected. The reinsurance company
MunichRe estimated that the losses in Poland
and the Czech Republic reached 10 billion DM
(£3.4 billion).
The environmental impacts were also severe,
mainly from chemical pollution spilled from
flooded and damaged factories. In addition, many
domestic sewage treatment works in the Polish
area affected were destroyed, and large agricultural
areas may be damaged for years to come. Strategic
oil reserves in Poland unwisely located in storage
tanks on the floodplain were also breached by the
flood waters, and heavy metal contaminants
resulting from industrialisation in the past were
flushed from sediments within the Oder's channel.
The long-term effects of these dangerous
pollutants are unknown.
THE FLOOD EMERGENCY IN
NORTHERN EUROPE IN SUMMER 1997
The floods in context
The floods in Germany, Poland and the Czech
Republic in 1997 caused immense dislocation and
destruction, and significant loss of life. They must
therefore represent one of the most serious flood
events ever in Europe, comparable to (but not as
serious as) the North Sea floods in 1953 (Penning-
Rowsell and Fordham 1994).
The flooding was more severe than any
previously recorded for most locations along the
River Oder, and was caused by rainfall events of
exceptional rarity (Figure 7.5). The flood was
unusual in that most of the previous 'floods of
Table 7.3
Economic appraisal of alternative flood alleviation standards
for the River Irwell (£ million).
