Opinion: Floods remind us the plan for Hawkesbury floodplain is dangerously irresponsible
It has rained at last over the catchment of the Hawkesbury-Nepean River, and despite the dryness of the ground less than a week ago there has been enough runoff to cause flooding in the Richmond and Windsor areas. In the lowest-lying of them, including Pitt Town Bottoms,The flooding is far from severe, but it is a reminder of how quickly floods can develop.
The floodplain of the Hawkesbury already houses 130,000 people. The vast majority are untroubled by the flooding that is occurring now. But Infrastructure NSW estimates that this population will double over the next 30 years. They will be within reach of genuinely big floods.Raising Warragamba might cost something like $700 million, a lot of money to palliate the flood threat without getting remotely near to eliminating it.
Despite the costs envisaged by the government’s planning, environmental and monetary, the flood problem will not be solved.
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