(CNS): A combination of higher tides due to rising sea levels and a decline in natural spaces, particularly wetlands, where water can drain is leading to localised flooding, according to the Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS).
Recent high tides, which are expected to continue through next month, and showers have left the ground saturated, affecting local drainage systems and contributing to water accumulation in low-lying areas and along some roadways.
Although rainfall over the coming days is expected to remain below levels typically associated with widespread flooding, the tides and showers may worsen conditions in affected areas, forecasters have warned.
Conditions are expected to gradually improve from the weekend into next week, as the chance of showers decreases and standing water naturally drains.
Sustainable Cayman, the islands’ leading non-profit conservation advocacy group and the Department of Environment have repeatedly lobbied government to do more to protect existing wetlands from development and adopt more joined-up policies to minimise the cumulative impact of runaway development around wetland areas.
They have argued that we should not be making any more decisions on major development projects that impact these critical ecosystems until the long-awaited National Development Plan is in place.
Grand Cayman has lost a huge amount of its wetlands in recent years through piecemeal destruction, and more remains at risk. These critically important wetlands act as free drainage systems and ensure that floodwaters recede quickly.
Without them, the water has fewer and fewer places to go. The result is that when there are high tides and heavy rains, water accumulates on roads and other impermeable surfaces far longer than it did in the past.
The public is encouraged to monitor daily forecasts and tide predictions on the CINWS website.