A Drop (In the Ocean of Words)

There has been wars of words about the recent flooding in parts of the UK (and whose responsibility it is to prevent it or to curtail its effects). It seems that there may be votes in these issues. People demand ever higher and stronger flood defenses, pumping of water from land, dredging of rivers etc etc. Most of the available experts, however, appear firmly of the view that, with the onset of climate change, strategic retreating and going back to older defenses (e.g. salt marshes) may offer the best protection (http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/30/flooding-experts-uk-adapt-climate-change). Much of the flooding is associated with low lying areas (in some cases, these are occupied because the land is agriculturally enriched by flooding events). Dredging rivers sounds a commonsensical 'cure' but it may simply hurry the waters downstream to flood other areas.