Tougher flood laws planned for 2011

A NEW map outlining the parts of France where construction is banned because of a flood risk will be published in the new year, it has been announced.

The Ecology Ministry is working on redrawing the boundaries following last week's deadly floods in the Var, which killed 25 people, and the Storm Xynthia flooding in February in which 59 died.

Junior Ecology Minister Chantal Jouanno said all the existing plans were being re-examined to take into account flash flooding and a rise in sea levels caused by climate change.

The map of the most dangerous areas in France will be published in the new year - and new building work will be strictly prohibited in the identified zones "without any exception".

She said that, until now, the flood zone boundaries had often been "negotiated" locally.

"We already have prevention plans, but they have their weaknesses - they under-estimate the risks," Ms Jouanno told Radio Classique.

Nicolas Sarkozy visited the flood-hit town of Draguignan on Monday. He said the current flood prevention plans had failed to work.

"The truth is that for several decades in this country, we have been risking people's lives," he said.

Some 10,000 communes around France have drawn up Plans de Prévention de Risques (PPRs) outlining what needs to be done to protect residents from a natural disaster.

Of these, 3,500 are still waiting for the stamp of approval from the Ecology Ministry. Mr Sarkozy said the backlog would be cleared "within three years".

According to Le Figaro, about 100,000 homes were built in flood zones between 1999 and 2006.

Photo above and below: Damage following floods in the Var - Twitpics - Jipay