I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, to the House and remind him that in a previous incarnation I recall the night he addressed a large public meeting in a hotel in Athlone about the disastrous situation for householders and farmers because of flooding along the River Shannon. He spoke extremely well and rightly called for relief works and a fund to help people get over that crisis, and sought more permanent measures to prevent a recurrence. The Minister of State is on the other side of the fence tonight. Last Sunday about 100 of the 400 houses in Willow Park were flooded when the Al River burst its banks. Willow Park is across the road from Athlone IT. It houses many students as well as many long-established families who have lived in the estate for years. Access to the estate was closed and hundreds of people, mainly students, were made homeless. We clearly saw the situation as it was portrayed in the media on Sunday and Monday. I spoke today to the chairman of the residents' association, Iggy Burke, who outlined a long history of flooding problems in the area and told me about the efforts of the residents to do something about it. Unfortunately, the flooding has been far worse on this occasion than on any other.
Adjournment Debate. - Flood Relief.
May I disturb the Deputy for a moment? Does the Deputy intend to share time with Deputy Cassidy?
I am sharing time with Deputy Penrose, as the Chair outlined at the start.
We can give Deputy Cassidy a minute.
Turn the watches back.
Yes, we can facilitate Deputy Cassidy if he wishes to speak.
The Minister of State might give me a minute.
Acting Chairman
I take it that the time for raising this matter is being divided three ways.
The problem in Willow Park was much worse on this occasion. People had to leave the area as their accommodation was flooded, property was damaged, student projects were lost and raw sewage was floating freely along roads, footpaths and gardens. The Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, is in charge of the Office of Public Works, which is responsible, under the Arterial Drainage (Amendment) Act, 1995, for dealing with this problem. Plans and proposals to remedy this unacceptable situation have been forwarded to the Minister of State by Westmeath County Council. I understand that the estimated cost of the work is about €4.5 million. I ask the Minister of State to honour the fine words of concern that he spoke in Athlone when he was president of the IFA. I want him to make a real difference to the quality of life of the residents of Willow Park, now that he is in the driving seat, by approving the proposals for remedial works forwarded to him by the council. I ask the Minister of State to show that he is of real mettle by announcing that he is committed to having the works carried out.
I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important matter on the Adjournment of the House. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, for attending this debate to outline how he intends to deal with the matter. I recall previous massive flooding problems in the Clonown and Golden Island areas of Athlone and I am sure the Minister of State remembers them too. The severe flooding on Sunday of the Willow Park estate, near Athlone Institute of Technology, was caused when the River Al breached a restraining culvert. The N6 road between Dublin and Athlone had to be closed to traffic because it was undermined by the floods. The Willow Park and Alverno Drive estates make up a densely occupied area of almost 400 houses adjacent to Athlone IT. A large student population, as well as many families, reside in the estate. The flooding obviously represented a major emergency for the area, as hundreds of people, including young children, were displaced by water levels of an average depth of over 900mm.
I have spoken to many people in the area, as has my colleague, Deputy Paul McGrath. A considerable number of people had be evacuated and housed in alternative temporary accommodation overnight as their houses were uninhabitable. Severe and extensive water damage was caused to houses and their contents, which will take many weeks to be restored to normal. The restoration process is a costly one. Many students from the institute of technology have been badly affected by the flooding, having lost clothes, college work, computers, laptops and other belongings. The damage to the N6 meant that it had to be closed and major traffic diversions were put in place.
While Westmeath County Council may be able to implement a short-term solution to this problem, including the replacement of the culvert, a permanent solution is urgently required. The Government must play a role in the solution by providing the necessary financial resources to facilitate it. A recent study commissioned by the council, referred to by Deputy Paul McGrath, confirmed that much of the Al River's catchment area is liable to and extremely vulnerable to flooding. The report, which stated that remedial action is necessary, has been forwarded to the Minister's Department and its recommendations are estimated to cost €4.5 million. Such a sum is small change in the context of ensuring that this flood never occurs again and that those affected never have to face such a catastrophe again.
I appeal to the Government to provide the relevant authorities with the necessary funding to resolve this problem immediately. This catastrophe must never be allowed to happen again. The residents of Alverno Drive in Athlone were unable to make their way to their front doors and had to be assisted to safety. The people of the area, both residents and students, have been severely traumatised and stressed. It is vital that emergency relief is made available through the various Government agencies to deal with the matter on a short-term basis. Funding must be made available to Westmeath County Council to enable it to undertake the local flood relief work schemes and the installation of new culverts to ensure that this catastrophic event never happens again.
I thank my colleagues for giving me the opportunity to speak during this debate. I concur with everything that Deputies Penrose and McGrath have said about this serious situation. Will the Minister of State agree to the urgent request, made by the county manager, County Westmeath's Oireachtas representatives and the Mayor of Westmeath, to meet a deputation tomorrow or early on Thursday morning? The people affected on Sunday night continue to live in strained circumstances as there is a possibility of further severe flooding if the rains come again in the next few days. The residents of the area have endured enormous hardship and our hearts go out to them. All three Deputies representing County Westmeath have spoken in the House of the need for the Government to do, and to try to have done, everything possible to alleviate this problem so that it does not happen again.
I thank the Chair and the three Deputies who have spoken on this matter. At the outset, I would like to extend my sympathy to those affected by the severe flooding. The accounts of the flooding I have heard seem to indicate that the Deputies are not exaggerating. Coincidentally, I was in Athlone on Monday morning, but I could not go from the roundabout to the affected area as the road was blocked off. I have visited the Athlone area on many occasions in the past to see at first hand the devastation caused by flooding and I am only too aware of the trauma and distress involved.
Reports indicate that the flooding occurred on the Al River which rises in a bog north of the Athlone bypass and flows under the bypass and the railway to the River Shannon. Sunday's flooding problem was of a localised nature and is being dealt with by the local authority. Although the Shannon is high at present and other flooding took place in the Shannon region, the incident referred to by the Deputies had nothing to do with the Shannon. The Willow Park estate is close to the railway bridge and I understand that the area has a history of flooding. Although the local authority has taken measures to restrict the occurrence of flooding, on Sunday last, 10 November, a restraining culvert was breached and water flowed down the main road and into the housing estate. Initial estimates indicate that between 60 and 80 houses were flooded, some to a depth of three or four feet. Approximately 30 families, as well as hundreds of students who reside on the estate, had to be evacuated and housed in alternative temporary accommodation overnight as their residences were not habitable.
Responsibility for initiating and co-ordinating the emergency response to events like that which occurred in Athlone on Sunday rests with local authorities. I compliment the local authorities, emergency services, local voluntary services and individuals who responded so readily to the difficulties of those affected by the flooding. The Westmeath county manager contacted the Office of Public Works yesterday to point out that while a short-term temporary solution had been put in place by the local authority to prevent a recurrence of the flooding, a more permanent solution needed to be implemented. I understand that the local authority had been concerned about the possible vulnerability of the river for some time and had commissioned consulting engineers to carry out a study of the Al River catchment. I understand that this report, which recommended various options and outlined a preferred option, was received by the council recently.
Westmeath County Council forwarded a request to the Office of Public Works last evening for funding of €4.5 million for the necessary capital works. A copy of the consultants' report is awaited and will be examined by my officials as soon as it is received. Every consideration will be given to the proposals being put forward by Westmeath County Council in light of available resources and my officials will offer any technical advice deemed necessary. A meeting will be arranged with officials from Westmeath County Council at the earliest opportunity to discuss this matter.
In response to Deputy Cassidy, I can inform the House that I have no difficulty in meeting Deputies from County Westmeath as part of the deputation at the earliest convenience. My office received its first notice of this matter from Westmeath County Council yesterday evening. At my request, an engineer from the Office of Public Works visited the area today to inspect the cause of the problem and the damage caused. His report will assist the consideration of the measures that may need to be implemented in the future.
In conclusion, I reiterate my sympathy and concern for the victims of the flooding. I assure the House that any advice or assistance that I or my office can give will be available to Deputies Paul McGrath, Penrose and Cassidy and the county council as part of the efforts to deal with this matter.