asked the Minister for Finance whether he is aware that the recent heavy rains have caused the Corrib waters to rise abnormally, with resultant loss and inconvenience to farmers, and, if so, if he will arrange to have the sluices opened in order to accelerate the return to normal level.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Corrib Flooding.
The recent abnormal weather has interfered seriously with the programme of drainage work on the outfall section of the river through Galway City and the opening of the sluices at this stage would cause further interference and delay, without effecting any appreciable improvement in flood conditions on lands bordering Lough Corrib.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say in what way the opening of the sluice gates would accentuate the flooding?
I presume the Deputy knows that at the moment we are trying to get the rock out at O'Brien's Bridge. By reopening the sluice gates a flood of water would come on and we could not continue the work there. The result would be that that would cause further delay in carrying out work which will ultimately benefit the people.
Is it not possible for the engineers of the Office of Public Works so to regulate the opening of the gates as to obviate the result which they fear?
No, it is not possible.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary state how long has this flooding been going on in the Corrib country?
Since before anybody here was born.
Can the Parliamentary Secretary say on how many occasions within the past quarter of a century summer flooding has been as bad in that area as it has been during the last three weeks of June?
I am advised by the engineering staff that what the Deputy proposes would actually have the effect of stopping the work completely; I am sure the Deputy does not want that.
What has the Parliamentary Secretary to say to the farmers who have had to remove their stock from the water-logged land?
What were they saying to you for the past 30 years, and you did not do anything about it?
It was we who prepared the way for Corrib drainage.