Climate change calls for new water regulation policies

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Winter floods are predicted to become more and more common in Finland as a result of climate change, while the occurrence of the more traditional spring flooding will decline. As a result, permits pertaining to the regulation of water level in lakes and waterways call for updating, believes Finland's Environmental Administration (SYKE).
      In its report related to climate change SYKE predicts that more than half of the present 220 water level regulation permits require amending.
     
Heavy rainfall is predicted to become a more common occurrence during the winter months, which in turn may lead to increased flooding in population centres and small-size watercourses in the southern and central parts of Finland in the coming decades.
      Abrupt rises of the sea level may also increasingly contribute to damage. Recent winter storms that created a "bathtub" effect in the Baltic Sea have already brought flood warnings to vulnerable parts of Helsinki, and temporary flood barriers have hastily had to be erected - for example in the South Harbour and Market Square area.
      Winter rains cause the water level in large lakes, such as Saimaa and Näsijärvi, to rise well into the spring.
      Downpours also cause more and more nutrients to be washed away into the waterways. This is forecast to increase eutrophication, especially along the southern and south-eastern coasts.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Climate Change a bigger concern for Finns than terrorism (19.3.2007)

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