0:00:02 > 0:00:06The power of nature in devastating force.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09A month ago, communities across Scotland were hit by the worst
0:00:09 > 0:00:12floods in living memory.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Hello and a very warm welcome to a special edition of Landward.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19We'll be exploring the effects of the flood and investigating
0:00:19 > 0:00:22what can be done to reduce the risks of further flooding.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Deeside was one of the areas worst hit by the flood and here,
0:00:45 > 0:00:46on Ballater's main street, you can
0:00:46 > 0:00:49still see the evidence five weeks on.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Businesses, homes and farms were all ruined,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and later, we'll be meeting some of those affected.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Sarah visits the farmer who battled to save his sheep.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We'd 101 washed away and there's been nine turned up,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06so 92, I'm afraid, have succumbed to the flood.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Also, Euan takes to the road to examine the dredging debate.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15And I find out how harnessing nature can help prevent flooding.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20First, here's a guide to how events unfolded.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30For Scotland, the whole of 2015 was categorised by rain...
0:01:33 > 0:01:35..lots and lots of rain.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40We suffered a wash-out summer with parts of the country almost
0:01:40 > 0:01:41twice as wet as normal.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49In July, the torrential rain struck Alyth in Perthshire.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Cars were swept away and home
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and business owners were left counting the cost of the downpour.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03But it was the end of the year which brought
0:02:03 > 0:02:05the start of the widespread misery.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12December 2015 was the wettest month since UK records began.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders were hit first,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18taking the brunt of Storm Desmond's fearsome power.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24The River Nith at Whitesands in Dumfries burst its banks.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28And homes in Hawick were evacuated after the River Teviot
0:02:28 > 0:02:29suffered a similar fate.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Then, four days after Christmas,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39it was Storm Frank's turn to wreak havoc across the country.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44In Aberdeenshire,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47part of A93 collapsed into the swollen River Dee.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54In Newton Stewart, the Cree reached its highest level since 1963.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Viewer footage shows the consequences.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05But the incident which probably sticks in most people's minds -
0:03:05 > 0:03:09passengers had to be rescued from a bus in Dailly, South Ayrshire,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11after it became trapped by the floods.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19And there's been no relief from the flooding misery in the New Year.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24There were dramatic rescues in Port Elphinstone in Aberdeenshire.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25And nearly three weeks later,
0:03:25 > 0:03:30Hawick was evacuated again as rain continued to pound the Borders.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Across Scotland, people are counting the cost of the damage.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40But it was perhaps Ballater on Deeside that was hit hardest.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Just a few days after the flood, Sarah visited the town.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51On 30th December, Ballater was overwhelmed by flood water
0:03:51 > 0:03:53when the River Dee burst its banks.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01For many residents,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05returning home to the aftermath has been a distressing experience.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10So my shed - it was tipped up.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15Everything inside, as you can see, has just been trashed.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- We've lost everything. Yeah.- We'll have a look inside the house?- Yeah.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20Please.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Gordon Duff recently moved to the community to
0:04:22 > 0:04:28enjoy his retirement and he's just finished renovating his new home.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31- You can see from the water mark... - So the water was about waist high?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34- Yeah.- And then, just everything inside was ruined?- Total.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Everything's gone.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41This is a brand-new kitchen. It's just completely trashed.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44- Completely trashed. - How are you feeling about this?
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I'm absolutely devastated.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51It's just all...
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I'm heartbroken because 30 odd years of mementos, photographs
0:04:54 > 0:04:59of the grandchildren and the boys growing up - it's all gone now.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Yeah. I know that...
0:05:03 > 0:05:05They say it's only bricks and mortar,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09we can put that right but, I mean, it was our home and it's just gone.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18The floods hit the main street with remarkable speed,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22and a week later, shops and businesses are still devastated.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- John, morning.- Hello.- Sarah. How are you doing?- How are you?
0:05:27 > 0:05:29- Are you mid clear-up?- Yes.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'John Sinclair has worked at the local butcher's for over
0:05:32 > 0:05:34'three decades.'
0:05:34 > 0:05:36How much damage was there?
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Everything, total devastation throughout the shop.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43There's nothing left at all. The walls have got to come down as well.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47I mean, the water level was up to there, that height,
0:05:47 > 0:05:48on the day of it.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Have you calculated how much this has all cost?
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- It's going to be well over 500,000. - £500,000?- I would say so, anyway.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57They've got to refit the place. Even the stock...
0:05:57 > 0:05:58£50,000 of stock I've binned.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- I'm just devastated.- And you're not alone cos, you know,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06walking down the street is just a scene of devastation everywhere.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09I mean, every business seems to have been affected.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Every business in the bottom half of the village is shut.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16However, nowhere shows the destructive power of the flood
0:06:16 > 0:06:18more clearly than the scene
0:06:18 > 0:06:21at Ballater's community-run caravan park.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28I've never seen anything like this before.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33This is what remains of Ballater Caravan Park which was
0:06:33 > 0:06:35one of the busiest tourist sites in the village.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40And last week, this whole area was under six feet of water.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Volunteer Gordon Bruce helps to manage the park.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49How important was this caravan park to the village?
0:06:49 > 0:06:54Oh, I think it was very important, brought a lot of tourists and
0:06:54 > 0:06:59they spent money in the shops, the restaurants and whatever, you know.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- So it's a big loss for the village? - Well, I think it is, you know.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05If it didn't open this next year, it's a disaster, really.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Are you optimistic about the future?
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Do you see yourselves reopening fairly quickly?
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Well, I think a little bit of help from Aberdeenshire Council and
0:07:15 > 0:07:20we could at least get the touring side up and going again, you know.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22We're in a good enough position but we couldn't
0:07:22 > 0:07:28possibly afford to rebuild everything as it is just now.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31It's just the whole structure of this site's been ruined.
0:07:32 > 0:07:38The caravans of everyone's virtually ruined, 40 of them down the river.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43- We've got 60 odd left. - Any of them salvageable?
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Well, I think it's...one person said they had one,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49but the rest have all been shifted.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51I don't think any of them really will be.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54It's just a total mess.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- Do you have insurance?- No.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00They won't give you insurance in a flood plain.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Ballater wasn't alone in being hit.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10All along the Dee, communities and farms were affected.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12And normally, how far are you from the river?
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- Well, you can just see it if you... - I can just see it.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17'35 miles downstream,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21'I met Jane McInnis to see the damage done to her deer farm.'
0:08:23 > 0:08:25One fence lying on its back, completely destroyed.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27This fence was going along the river.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It's been completely moved, covered in debris.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34And also, all the banking has gone.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36We knew it was coming in at the east end of the farm.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38We didn't worry about this
0:08:38 > 0:08:41because this has always held the river in his place.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46But then suddenly, we realised it had started to breach the banks.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48You know, you can see the water's subsided
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- and just the damage it's left behind - this massive crater.- Yep.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54- And there's one over there as well. - That's right.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57The bank has just been totally eroded by the power of the water.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02We got the sheep off with less than half an hour to spare
0:09:02 > 0:09:04and we got the deer into a holding pen.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07But then, we stood up on the bank and watched,
0:09:07 > 0:09:08and it was just terrifying.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13How does this flood compare to previous ones?
0:09:13 > 0:09:19Oh, this is way ahead of the other floods in the damage it's done
0:09:19 > 0:09:21and the speed with which it came through.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25I think that was the most terrifying thing - it happened so fast.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27And there was very little anybody could do. What can you do?
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Got the animals off but it was... No, no.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33This is something on a different scale, Sarah, totally.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37And that's what worries me for the future of living near a river like this -
0:09:37 > 0:09:41is this going to be something that is happening much more often?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- It really is Mother Nature in full force, isn't it?- Oh, absolutely.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Absolutely. And there's not a thing we can do about it here.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52While the storm has destroyed much of the farm,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Jane did not lose any livestock.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Sheep farmer Rodney Blackhall was not so lucky.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04Just tell us what happened to this field.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Well, it went from being a nice dry field,
0:10:07 > 0:10:14and Wednesday 30th, December, there to an absolute raging torrent.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16And the river rose about six metres
0:10:16 > 0:10:21and there was full-sized trees taken through here.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Did you have livestock in the field?
0:10:23 > 0:10:27We had sheep in that field that, unfortunately,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29weren't at the right side of this torrent.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33This footage shows Rodney and his friends
0:10:33 > 0:10:38and family frantically trying to move the sheep to safety.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43We'd 101 washed away and there's been nine turned up,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47downstream, miraculously have survived being in the water.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52- So 92, I'm afraid, have succumbed to the flood.- I mean, I know...
0:10:52 > 0:10:56You know, farmers are dedicated to their livestock, to their flock.
0:10:56 > 0:10:57I mean, how must that have felt?
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Well, that's why we were in there, up to our waists,
0:11:00 > 0:11:02beside the trees up there, trying to save them
0:11:02 > 0:11:05because you spend all your time, from the time they're born,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07trying to look after them and make the best of them,
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and yeah, to see them going away, down the river,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12was quite heartbreaking, to be honest.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15A terrible thing for any farmer to have to deal with.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Yeah, well, it's quite a sickener
0:11:17 > 0:11:21when you're sticking at lambing and hoping to get anything alive.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25And you get them through to that stage
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and then they're taken away from you like that.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30And what about the future?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Well, farmers tend to be that you've just to pick up the pieces
0:11:33 > 0:11:38and get on, don't you? Otherwise, we would all be back down long by now.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41So yeah, we'll do our best to just carry on.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48The floods obviously caused serious and lasting consequences
0:11:48 > 0:11:52for many people, but why did they happen and why so severe?
0:11:52 > 0:11:55We sent Euan to Ellon in search of some answers.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01This is the River Ythan in Ellon.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Now, it doesn't look much at the moment. It's quite swollen.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05But in January, this river burst its banks
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and this whole area was under water.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09And I'm with Richard Brown of
0:12:09 > 0:12:12the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, SEPA.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14And it's their job to monitor the water levels
0:12:14 > 0:12:16and to issue flood warnings.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Now, Richard, I know Ellon wasn't alone in being hit by the deluge
0:12:19 > 0:12:21but why so much rain?
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Really, a series of very intense Atlantic storms,
0:12:24 > 0:12:25generating way out in the Atlantic,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28moving up from the South West into Scotland and right
0:12:28 > 0:12:31up across Scotland from Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders, Tayside.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Then in January, what we saw was the wind direction shifting around
0:12:34 > 0:12:37and we saw a lot of rain coming in off the North Sea.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39That was perhaps a longer-duration event.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41It extended over several days.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Now, we had quite a mild December.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Did that have an impact on the flooding?
0:12:44 > 0:12:45December was exceptionally mild.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48It was about five degrees warmer than average across the UK
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and that is really exceptional.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52Sometimes you may get a month is a degree warmer
0:12:52 > 0:12:55but to have it five degrees warmer than average is quite something.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57That meant there wasn't a great deal of snow.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59The snow that did come didn't tend to last.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02It melted and that had to come down the rivers as well.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04So it's raining but why flooding?
0:13:04 > 0:13:07What's the circumstances that produce floods,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10you know, the whole area under water? What happens to make that?
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Well, basically, with the amount of rain we've had,
0:13:12 > 0:13:13it's just saturated the ground.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17The ground is absolutely sodden, reservoirs are full, rivers running
0:13:17 > 0:13:21high, constantly being topped up, and that water just has to run off.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22There's nowhere else for it to go.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26How bad was the flooding in relation to previous years?
0:13:26 > 0:13:30It was quite exceptional. I don't tend to use the word unprecedented.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Big floods always have occurred, always will occur, but really,
0:13:33 > 0:13:35in our gauged record, in other words, the period that we've had
0:13:35 > 0:13:38these recordings for, they were pretty exceptional.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42The like of the Tay, for example, the second-highest on record
0:13:42 > 0:13:45in that period, the River Dee, by far the highest on record.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48But bear in mind that big floods have always occurred.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51So, for example, there's well-documented history of flooding,
0:13:51 > 0:13:56the great Moray floods of 1829, and it is fairly clear that some
0:13:56 > 0:13:59of the floods then were much bigger than we've seen in recent days.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01So you're not a betting man
0:14:01 > 0:14:03but there's a fair chance this is going to happen again?
0:14:03 > 0:14:04I would say so, yes.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I think there's every likelihood we will always get more flooding,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and indeed, quite likely to get bigger ones in future.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17So, if it's going to happen again, what can we do about it?
0:14:20 > 0:14:23In the Borders, on one of the tributaries of the Tweed,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27the locals are turning to something called natural flood management.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34For centuries, people have been manipulating Scotland's landscape.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36We've drained the land to make it more productive,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39created flood banks to protect crops
0:14:39 > 0:14:43and straightened out rivers to make way for roads and railways.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47We've created an environment where water runs downstream really,
0:14:47 > 0:14:48really quickly.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Natural flood management is all about slowing things down.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58I've come to meet Hugh Chalmers by Eddleston Water.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59- Hugh, how are you?- Hi, Dougie.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Good to see you.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04His group, the Tweed Forum, are working with nature to try
0:15:04 > 0:15:06and protect Peebles from flooding.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- So Eddleston Water is a tributary of the Tweed?- Of the Tweed.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14- That's right.- OK. - It hits the Tweed at Peebles.- Right.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Tell me about this project, then. What are you doing here?
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- Well, we're looking at the whole of the Eddleston catchment.- Uh-huh.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The Scottish Government's funding this project specifically to see
0:15:23 > 0:15:27if natural flood management actually works in real life.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31So this whole catchment is 70 square km.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Peebles is down at the bottom here and the river runs about...
0:15:34 > 0:15:36The main stem river runs about 20km.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38So how much of a problem has there been with Eddleston Water
0:15:38 > 0:15:40in the past, then?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Well, Eddleston Water runs through the village of Eddleston,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and Peebles actually floods about 300 properties.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48So there is a flooding problem here.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50And we're using natural features in the catchment to
0:15:50 > 0:15:51slow down the water.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56This is what's known as a leaky dam.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59And the group have installed more than 50 of them
0:15:59 > 0:16:02to slow the stream's progress towards the main river.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06They've also planted 160 acres of woodland
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and I'm helping Hugh replace the trees that have died off.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15So how can planting little saplings like that, Hugh, help prevent,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19or help to prevent, flooding further downstream?
0:16:19 > 0:16:20Well, it will take a bit of time,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24but once a tree starts to grow, this is a well-grown older tree here,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26once they start to grow, they do various things.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28They can actually intercept the rainfall, OK?
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Then if the leaves are out,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- there's evapotranspiration that's sucking up the water.- Uh-huh.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34So they use up a lot of water.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37It also helps the rainfall to infiltrate into the soil
0:16:37 > 0:16:40so the soil can then act as a reservoir.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- The stream's only ten metres away there.- Yeah.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47The water will take a long time to get here through the trees, a
0:16:47 > 0:16:51lot longer than it would than, say, through if it was just grazing land.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Yeah.- And that's very similar to Sir Walter Scott.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56He mentioned that back in the 1800s.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59He said what they were doing by draining the uplands was
0:16:59 > 0:17:02converting, like a thatched roof into a slate roof,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04so the water runs off really quickly.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07And they had noticed that in the Tweed way back in the 1820s.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10The river was responding really quickly to high
0:17:10 > 0:17:13rainfall in the uplands. And that was upsetting their fishing.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Yeah. So if it comes off the uplands really quickly,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- potential problems downstream very quickly.- Yeah. Exactly.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- And this is slowing it down? - That's right.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27As well as planting trees and creating leaky dams,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31the Tweed Forum have done what's called remeandering to this river.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33It used to run poker straight alongside the old railway.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Now they've put the wiggles back.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42This is the re-meandered Eddleston Water in summer.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44The team have added to the length of the river
0:17:44 > 0:17:47simply by putting curves back in,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50slowing the flow of water towards Peebles.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52So this is the once-straight river?
0:17:52 > 0:17:55- No more.- That's it, Dougie. Yeah, yeah, quite different.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Some of the work was carried out on farmer Kenny Watson's land.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03So, why did you get involved with this in the first place?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Well, when Tweed Forum approached us,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08we were quite happy to get involved.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10- This is an area of ground that's sort of wetland.- Mm-hm.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13And this was quite suitable for us.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I mean, better ground, it wouldn't have been suitable on,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20because, really, letting the water go laterally, spread out laterally,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22you know, might not be best on better agricultural land.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26- And were you compensated for this work?- Not directly financially, no.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30But one thing that they have helped us out with is fencing,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33bordering the ground and put in improved drainage here and there.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37There's no doubt in my mind we're likely to get worse floods in future
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and, if this helps to sort of, um, you know,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45prevent some of it or even improve the outcome, then we're all for it.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Last December, Peebles DID flood.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51but the Tweed was responsible, not Eddleston Water.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It looks as though the work is paying off.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58However, it's still too early to say for sure.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01So, the Tweed Forum will continue to study
0:19:01 > 0:19:05the effects of these techniques and they're not the only ones.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08It's not just here in the Borders where people are trying to
0:19:08 > 0:19:12harness nature to prevent flooding. As Sarah's been finding out,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14similar work is going on in the north-east.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Here on Deeside, on the farms around Tarland, a number of
0:19:20 > 0:19:25different natural flood management techniques are being tested.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29- So, how old is this bund?- This bund? Um, coming up to two years.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Dr Mark Wilkinson from the James Hutton Institute
0:19:32 > 0:19:34is showing me a bund.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37You're walking on top of a soil bund.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40What we could say is a raised buffered strip.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44It's about 50 centimetres high of earth and two metres wide.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46And how does it work?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Well, basically, we have one field and,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51when the soil gets too full of water,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55what we want to do here is break that water and slow the flow
0:19:55 > 0:19:58and stop it running into the houses down here.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02- Then, so this... I see a pipe. - This pipe's important,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06because what we're trying to do is to drain the water from this field,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09for one day after the event, so the field does not become
0:20:09 > 0:20:13waterlogged and the farmer can still grow his crops here,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16so this is sort of a pipe that slowly allows the water to
0:20:16 > 0:20:19drain out into this wetland system here.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Just like the Eddleston project,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25it's about slowing the natural flow of the water.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Although a single bund proved no match for January's deluge,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31the aim is to create lots of bunds to prevent
0:20:31 > 0:20:33this sort of flooding in Tarland.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38What if we...? We have one field, one small bund.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41What if we were to replicate that across the whole catchment?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Each field, so work in the small pockets,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46small wet areas of the farmer's field,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48which they're willing maybe to give up, um,
0:20:48 > 0:20:50and then they can farm the rest of the field,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53so it's trying to work in the areas that we can.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Mark has worked on the project with Simon Power, estate manager
0:20:58 > 0:21:01at the MacRobert Trust, which owns much of the land in the catchment.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05With the agreement of the tenant farmer, they built the bund
0:21:05 > 0:21:09in a couple of days with machinery they already had.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11From an estate point of view,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15- I mean, you would prefer to find a natural method like this...?- Yes.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19- ..than hard engineering?- Yes, the big question that Mark and I
0:21:19 > 0:21:23have been discussing is how many of these sorts of schemes would we need
0:21:23 > 0:21:26in order to make it comparable with a massive scheme that
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Aberdeenshire Council had talked about doing in the Howe of Cromar,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32which would affect two farm tenants, but would've held
0:21:32 > 0:21:35an enormous amount of water and probably meant that
0:21:35 > 0:21:36they couldn't have grown barley any more,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39cos they would've had to have grass fields on a permanent basis.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41So the hope is that,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44if we have a number of these schemes dotted about the estate,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47that they could all add up to something of a similar capacity.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51As well as a bund, rough grass strips
0:21:51 > 0:21:54have been planted with trees along the Tarland burn.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58These help to slow the flow of water off the fields.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Large storage ponds, like this one, have also been created.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08What will it take for schemes like this to be
0:22:08 > 0:22:11- replicated across the country? - I guess two things, really.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Firstly, look for opportunistic areas like this -
0:22:13 > 0:22:17wet areas in the corner of fields farmers are willing to give up -
0:22:17 > 0:22:19because they're wet anyway. But secondly,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22if we are going to take farmland out of production,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25we need to look at parent mechanisms, through farm subsidies,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29to try and compensate farmers to store larger volumes of water.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Experts, including Mark, say natural flood management projects
0:22:34 > 0:22:37can never replace large flood defence schemes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40But they are relatively cheap in comparison
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and do have an important role to play.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46What do you think? If you have any thoughts on flooding
0:22:46 > 0:22:50and how we deal with it, share them via our Facebook page,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55or send us an e-mail to...
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Now, here's Euan in Perth.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02As we've heard, natural flood management
0:23:02 > 0:23:05can only be part of the solution.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09It can never replace the need for what's called hard engineering.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15For example, flood defences, like here in Perth.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18As the level rises, these gates are closed
0:23:18 > 0:23:21to prevent the Tay from spilling over
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and, in total, over £25 million has been spent
0:23:24 > 0:23:27protecting the fair city from flooding.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33Perth's defences were built after these floods in 1993,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35When thousands of homes were affected
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and the authorities were forced to act.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43During Storms Desmond and Frank, only five homes were inundated
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and this was due to the drains being overwhelmed.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48The river didn't flood.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Now the Scottish Government has committed to spending
0:23:53 > 0:23:59£235 million on flood defence schemes across the country.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01But should we also be letting
0:24:01 > 0:24:04landowners do more of their own flood protection work?
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Some farmers are saying that even more could be achieved
0:24:07 > 0:24:10if the authorities would free them up from red tape and let them
0:24:10 > 0:24:14carry out work on their own land, including dredging the river.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19The Scottish Environment Protection Agency allows farmers
0:24:19 > 0:24:23to dredge small stretches of river in certain circumstances.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Most work, though, needs a licence
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and that can be difficult to get hold of.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31That swept down the river from further upstream.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Andrew Bauer from the National Farmers' Union of Scotland
0:24:34 > 0:24:39wants this to change. I'm meeting him on a farm by the Tay,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41where the river breached its banks.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43This field here, we have winter wheat.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46That may be salvageable, although there's obviously damage.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Over here, we have about 14-15 hectares of carrots.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53About 1,000 tonnes would be expected out of a field like that,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55enough for a million bags of carrots.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- Oh, that's just gone in a couple of days?- Gone.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- Obviously, you want to repair this wall...- Yeah.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04..in the flood defences, but what else do you want to happen?
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Well, this is what's called prime agricultural land and only 3%
0:25:06 > 0:25:09of Scotland's agricultural land is prime agricultural land.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14This is where our vegetables, food, comes from, apart from red meat,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17so we think it's important that this type of land be protected,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20so that farmers should have the ability to strengthen
0:25:20 > 0:25:24flood defences, heighten flood defences and, in the rivers -
0:25:24 > 0:25:26you know, this is the Tay, it's a heavily-protected river -
0:25:26 > 0:25:30it's appropriate that it continues to have a level of protection,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33but we need to have better working between SEPA and farmers
0:25:33 > 0:25:34to identify what the solutions are
0:25:34 > 0:25:37and, if it's not a designated part of the river, and there is
0:25:37 > 0:25:40a pinch point in the river, where you have gravel bars building up,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43we need options for farmers to be able to remove those
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and remove them responsibly.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49An entire crop of carrots ruined - a terrible waste.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52But would dredging have made any difference?
0:25:54 > 0:25:56David Harley from SEPA isn't convinced.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01In many cases, when it comes to large-scale floods,
0:26:01 > 0:26:06dredging has a negligible impact on mitigating that flood.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09For example, we know there were studies done in Perth
0:26:09 > 0:26:14and they worked out that, if you removed large-scale sediment
0:26:14 > 0:26:17and gravels - I think the figure was 40,000 tons -
0:26:17 > 0:26:21it would take two inches off that flood height.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24- That won't make much difference, will it?- Negligible, in many cases.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Is it a difficult one to sell to farmers who, you know,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30they're looking at fields underwater?
0:26:30 > 0:26:32They want to get rid of it as quickly as possible!
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Yeah, I can see that, particularly after times of, you know,
0:26:35 > 0:26:40serious inundation and serious crop damage. You know, emotions are high.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44And we are here to... Actually, SEPA is here to help farmers in that.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46If people want to make repairs to breached flood embankments,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48we can help them with that.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51They can actually do that without authorisation.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54There is small-scale dredging they can do without authorisation
0:26:54 > 0:26:56as well, so they should really come and talk to us.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59I know there's a fear factor about coming and talking to SEPA,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02but we really urge farmers to come and speak to us.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04We do need to, you know, on one level,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08help farmers where it does add benefit, but on another level,
0:27:08 > 0:27:11make sure that we don't create worse problems further downstream
0:27:11 > 0:27:17for communities, for other farmers, um, and for wildlife.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27No doubt the debate over dredging will continue.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29In the meantime, those affected by flooding
0:27:29 > 0:27:31are still picking up the pieces.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34But don't forget, if your business or your home has been
0:27:34 > 0:27:40affected by flooding, then you are entitled to a grant of £1,500.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46To apply for the grant, you need to contact your local authority.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Well, that almost brings us to the end of the programme,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54but we couldn't go without mentioning the one good news story
0:27:54 > 0:27:57to emerge from all this misery, and that's how
0:27:57 > 0:28:00communities pulled together and rallied to help each other.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Community halls were converted to emergency centres.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Sites sprang up on social media to connect people and offer aid.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12And everyone pitched in
0:28:12 > 0:28:16to help their neighbours get back on their feet.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18It seems that, when Mother Nature does her worst,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21human nature is at its best.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Landward will be back on the air just after Easter.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25In the meantime, from all of us,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27thanks for your company, bye for now.