ABSTRACT
Towns and cities may discharge their rapid storm runoff through further agricultural areas, again perhaps causing flooding or preventing field drainage. Flood alleviation and land drainage are fundamentally about planning public expenditure to increase social welfare. Agricultural land drainage schemes may be necessary to maintain the economic viability of farming communities. Agricultural production could be raised with greater investment in pesticides or advisory services. Since the aim of flood alleviation and land drainage is to increase social welfare and since the state has taken a role in this process of resource allocation, then decisions should clearly be collective and political in nature rather than just involving individuals. The ‘welfare’ perspective on flood alleviation and land drainage contrasts markedly with the philosophy apparently underlying much of the previous research on flood hazards. Many theories are involved in different parts of the complex field of study that encompasses planning and decision making about floods and land drainage.
