A large wound in the terrain shows that something is wrong on the bank of the river Surna in Surnadal. – Things have gone badly here, says farmer Kristen Mogstad and points with a twig towards the river bank. Where he stands there should have been an old stacking of large stones. But the stacking is gone. Landowners Konrad Våbenø, Harald Krangnes and Kristian Mogstad at the site where the river has started eating into the topsoil. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news – This is just one example. The river forebuilding is worn and bad in large parts of the river, explains Mogstad. The stacking is collapsing River embankment is stones that are stacked to prevent the river from washing out the soil behind. Such flood defenses have been set up all over the country. But maintenance is the responsibility of the landowners. It is an expensive job that few can afford. The river embankment disappeared stone by stone. The next thing to disappear is the valuable topsoil. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news – A 30-metre-long filling like this will cost me NOK 150,000. Where we stand now, more than 300 meters are missing, so it is clear that there will be enormous amounts, says Konrad Våbenø. He is a neighbor of Mogstad and has seen how the river threatens to take more and more of the surrounding land. It is NVE that has the money to be used to prevent flood damage. But destroyed topsoil does not reach the battle for the kroner. Photo: Konrad Våbenø The money goes to other measures – NVE operates with a value of NOK 3 per square meter for topsoil. When they put it into their calculator, the answer is always that the costs of the preventive work will be too high in relation to the value of what is to be salvaged, claims Våbenø. NVE points out that they have limited money to distribute, and that they prioritize according to risk, consequences for life, health and damage to existing buildings. Section manager in NVE, Siss-May Edvardsen. Photo: Catchlight/NVE – We must go for the security measures that will provide the greatest socio-economic benefit in relation to the costs the measure entails, says section manager at NVE, Siss-May Edvardsen. – Then the money would rather go to securing buildings, roads and other things that have been given a higher value, according to Våbenø. Irreplaceable resource The lack of money to secure land is experienced as a paradox for farmer Jon Olav Holte. Nearly 12 months after storm Gyda flooded large parts of his property, he is still working to repair the damage to roads and clear the field of trees and rubbish. Jon Olav Holte had his property flooded in January when Gyda ravaged central Norway. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news But he can never get the word out again. – It takes several thousand years to get good topsoil back. It is an irreplaceable resource that only disappears into the sea when the flood defenses wear out and do not work. Different valuation Down at the municipal building in Surnadal sits Håvard Stensønes. This is where farmers come to ask for help maintaining flood defenses. But he has little to give. Håvard Stensønes is unit manager for land and nature management in Surnadal municipality. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news – It is special to see that we must protect agricultural land for all it is worth when someone wants to build a house. At the same time, we shall not spend a penny on preventing the same soil from being washed into the sea as a result of damaged river dams. NVE also sees that the scheme can be improved. In a statement to the committee that was set up after the quick clay landslide at Gjerdrum, NVE points out that there is a need to take a closer look at the assistance schemes for natural disasters.
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Irreplaceable topsoil is washed into the sea
