‘It’s no way for people to live their lives’
“WE ARE not going to just forget about this.”
Those were the words spoken by the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council during a frank and honest discussion about flooding in the county borough.
It’s no secret that Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) has been devastated by flooding recently – from when homes and businesses were destroyed and submerged in water during Storm Dennis in February 2020 to as recently as last month when some residents in areas like Pontypridd saw their homes fill with water once more.
It has left people forced out of their homes, and business owners despairing at the cost of clearing up before opening their doors again.
Over the last 18 months or so, dozens of projects and schemes have taken place, and are still ongoing, to try to repair the damage caused and to improve culverts and drainage systems.
But despite the work that has been going on quietly throughout the pandemic, some people may be understandably asking why certain areas continue to flood.
And what has been done since Storm Dennis battered parts of RCT to make the area safer?
We put the big questions to council leader Andrew Morgan, who talked openly about the work being done behind the scenes, and just how much energy is being carried out to try to protect people’s homes.
A few weeks ago he saw first hand the devastating reality when residents of Rhydyfelin were flooded once again, despite the culvert being clear and fitted with cameras to monitor it.
Worryingly, it seems the cause was just 15 to 20 minutes of heavy, prolonged rain, which poses important questions for the future.
Cllr Morgan said: “The Welsh Government gave £8m funding last year and £8m this year specifically to upgrade the culvert and drainage systems.
“The damage from Storm Dennis, road works, bridges, etc, is funding of tens of millions of pounds.
“The £16m is for the drainage and culverts alone.”
The councillor for Mountain Ash said that even though we are 20 months or so on from Storm Dennis, the culverts at higher risk will be prioritised first.
He said the focus on upgrading culverts and drainage systems needed to be a priority for at least the next three to five years. Making improvements in the area will take time, and is not something that can be done overnight.
When properties at Wordsworth Gardens, in Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd, flooded once again last month many questions were raised about the culvert.
Families were devastated as they watched water pour into their homes for the second time in just over a year.
Cllr Morgan said the flooding was the result of a prolonged period of heavy rain that only seemed to last for about 20 minutes.
He said the culvert in question was clear and was fitted with the needed cameras to monitor it.
Despite this, it still couldn’t cope with all the water. “It still flooded,” he explained. “There was one particular period. There was a real downpour which lasted around 15 to 20 minutes where we experienced prolonged rain.
“There was debris on the mountain and it buried the culvert.
“The cameras show the culvert at 8.40pm. It was raining, but there were no problems.
“By 10.15pm you actually couldn’t see the culvert as it blocked. The water was going over the railings.
“In the space of an hour it was overflowing in the streets.”
Cllr Morgan explained the problem in areas like this is that debris and stones can fall from the mountain and lead to blockages, even if the culvert inlets are initially clear.
Earlier this year a report found the main source of the initial flooding in Pentre during Storm Dennis last year was a “significant blockage” of a culvert.
Unprecedented rainfall during Storm Dennis caused record river levels and flows as Rhondda Cynon Taf recorded its most significant flooding since the 1970s.
In total, 159 residential properties and 10 commercial properties were flooded in the village of Pentre alone, along with significant flooding to local highways.
It found the culvert inlet was blocked by woody debris washed off the mountainside, including an area where tree felling activity had been undertaken by Natural Resources
Wales.
Speaking about the floods in Rhydyfelin last month, Cllr Morgan: said “The water actually washed down a farmer’s bail of hay. A big bail of hay was going into the culvert.”
He said landslips have been seen in other parts of RCT, including the Rhondda and Mountain Ash, where tons of debris fell from the hillsides during Storm Dennis.
The council leader said there had even been some instances where properties had nearly flooded due to fly-tipping in the past.
Describing one incident, he said: “We were very close to properties flooding because a mattress blocked the culvert.
“They found an area where someone had dumped some household items, and they floated down the stream. It blocked the culvert.
“We can clean the culvert inlets. We know there is nothing wrong with the actual culverts, so we have to find a way to stop the debris from coming down the mountains.”
Cllr Morgan said this would now be a focus to try to prevent the culverts becoming blocked.
He described the idea of building “debris catchers” to trap the debris that travels down the hillsides.
If this plan was brought to life such catchers would be built, which would look something like big pools to trap the debris, and would be emptied when they become full.
“The flood gates and doors are the very last defence,” he added.
“They should not be the answer. Yes, give flood gates to protect properties, but they should be used as the very last kind of defence. We need to look at how we can stop the water getting to the front doors.”
Back in September Welsh Government maps were released showing the danger that climate change poses for the Valleys.
Sea level rise and flooding are predicted to be real issues in the coming years, even if action is taken immediately to address the climate emergency.
This is because temperature rises are thought to be more or less inevitable until 2050.
In the Valleys, places such as Aberdare, Pontypridd and Ton Pentre are considered to be just some of the areas at risk.
The RCT Council emergency control room was recently staffed for the second time in three weeks as weather warnings were in place for heavy rain.
The emergency room forms part of the council’s new plans. It means that whenever there is a yellow or amber weather warning in place for the country borough, extra crews will be on standby too.
Areas likely to face flooding because of increased rainfall and river flows are: Aberdare; Pontypridd; Treorchy and Ton Pentre; Mountain Ash; and Tonypandy and Porth. Cllr Morgan said: “RCT has over 20% of the flood risks for Wales because the houses are built on the hillside.
“Unfortunately we are at higher risk of flooding than any other local authority in Wales.
“We are not going to just forget about this. We need to make sure these people feel safe.
“It has got to a point where every time it’s forecast the residents wait up to watch in case it rains, and they call for sandbags.
“It’s no way for people to live their lives.
“It still makes me fearful. We have an emergency call room so every time there is a warning the team is notified.
“We don’t want people to think it’s been two years and we haven’t done anything in their area.”
Speaking about the people who are fearful of flooding, he added: “They are at the front of my mind.”