Murphy highlights problems from Liffey flooding

Nobody would consider it an overstatement to point out that when somebody's home is flooded it is quite devastating, North Kildare Independent Deputy Catherine Murphy told the Dáil. Speaking during a debate on the flooding crisis, she said people who have been in flooded homes can see that.

“There is the clean-up afterwards, the debris that ends up in the house, the possibility of spores and damage to people's health and trying to dehumidify the house before one tries to put it back together,” she said. “The one question people always ask is: ‘What if it happens again?’ That is their major concern.”

Undoubtedly, Deputy Murphy said the extent of the rainfall in the last month to six weeks was exceptional. When one considers the major floods that are occurring quite regularly now there is no doubt that it will be the pattern we will continue to see. “That is due to a change in our climate,” she said. “In my area I have seen a 100-year flood occur on several occasions since 2000. While I understand the reason that the Shannon region was the focus of most attention recently, the Liffey catchment also experienced some difficulties. Indeed, the Morell river in my constituency caused some houses and roads in the area to be flooded quite badly, and not for the first time. There is an advanced proposal to remediate that which is very much in harmony with the surrounding environment.”

Previously, she said  there were remedial works in Maynooth, Leixlip and Johnstown and all of those designs and investments stood up well to the test. The problem is that often a whole-of-catchment approach is not taken. “When the Maynooth remedial works were carried out the next place to flood was Leixlip,” she said. “When Leixlip was remediated the next place to flood was the Strawberry Beds. That is an indication that one must consider the total catchment area or problems could be caused in other areas. The sequence of the works is extremely important. If one does the work lower on the river first, there is a stronger flow of water and sometimes there can be a great deal of sediment in areas of the river. That clogs the river. That has happened in the Straffan area in Kildare. There is a virtual mountain in the middle of the Liffey. I have tried to find out who has responsibility for it but it is very difficult to find anybody with that responsibility. That is part of the problem.”