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Delyth Jewell, who is the deputy leader of Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

In the Senedd this week I called for an urgent debate to be held about the devastating effects we’ve seen from recent storms in the valleys.

The flooding that hit our communities last month dominated headlines, and this weekend we’re expecting yet more weather warnings for heavy rain. I want to make sure the focus doesn’t leave these places when the clean-up ends, because people are understandably frightened.

So many streets and businesses that were hit by flooding in 2020 have been affected again in Ystrad Mynach, Llanbradach, Blackwood and Bedwas (and the list goes on). 

People are worried about when it will happen again. We’re only at the beginning of the winter, and we can expect more storms. The government needs to reassure residents that there’s a plan to protect them.

We’ve also seen a coal tip slip down a mountain in Cwmtillery, and a sinkhole open in a housing estate in Merthyr Tydfil, which seems to have been caused by a culvert collapsing in heavy rain. People across the valleys will be worrying. There have been landslips in other villages too.

I raised a topical question in the Senedd about the sinkhole in Merthyr, which has led to over 30 homes being evacuated in the lead-up to Christmas. All of these events raise serious concerns about the resilience of our infrastructure in communities across the valleys, where ageing drainage systems are struggling to cope with increasingly severe storms. 

The council has said the damage could take months to repair, and that would leave families in this prolonged state of uncertainty. I’m worried about the financial effects, and I’m also worried about the emotional effects that could have on residents.

I asked the Welsh Government about funding available for risk assessments, not just for culverts, but also for our drainage systems and coal tips.

I questioned what steps are being taken or will be taken to strengthen our culverts, and to stabilise the land in these areas that are most vulnerable to these changes.

I will keep pushing for urgent answers to these questions. If any of these issues have affected you, please contact me – my email address is Delyth.Jewell@Senedd.Wales