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Flood Prevention Measures

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020

Tuesday, 17 November 2020

Questions (100, 102, 115)

Mairéad Farrell

Question:

100. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his plans for a flood defence programme in Clifden, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36714/20]

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Mairéad Farrell

Question:

102. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the OPW plans to install river gauges on the Owenglin River, County Galway in locations in which none currently exist. [36716/20]

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Mairéad Farrell

Question:

115. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when the trial for the new simulation system for advance warnings will be put in place on the Owenglin River, County Galway. [36715/20]

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Oral answers (8 contributions)

I know the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, is aware of the flooding in Clifden at the beginning of September and the very serious impact it has had on the people of Clifden. I am seeking a statement on the plans for a flood defence programme in Clifden.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 100, 102 and 115 together. I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue for the people of Clifden and those living along the Owenglin River.

I can confirm that a potential flood relief scheme was recommended for Clifden as part of the national flood risk management plan published in 2018, from which 119 new projects nationwide are to be progressed under the national development plan. Following the launch of the plan, the Office of Public Works, OPW, confirmed to Galway County Council that it would fund the cost of developing and implementing a scheme for the town which has an initial cost estimate of more than €500,000. I am advised that Galway County Council and the OPW have been working on a design brief for the project.  I am pleased to confirm that the council intends to go to tender shortly for consultants to further develop the scheme for the town.

I visited Clifden in the immediate aftermath of the flooding there in early September and I met residents and business people who were directly affected by the unprecedented event, including residents of the Clifden Glen estate who were evacuated from their homes. I witnessed at first hand the damage to the town and to properties in the Riverside and Low Road areas.  The data collected from that recent flood event will inform the design of a future scheme.

Although it is not possible for me to confirm at this stage when flood relief works will be carried out, I can assure the House that both the council and OPW are committed to ensuring that progress will be made as quickly as possible to bring forward a flood relief scheme for the town in order to prevent a similar flooding event occurring.

The Deputy referred to the possibility of developing an early flood warning system for the town in one of her questions. The development of an early warning system will be a matter for consideration for the consultants designing the scheme. However, I am advised that, in this instance, it would be technically challenging to design such a system due to the small, steep nature of the river catchment and the localised nature of the rainfall. These factors result in very rapid onset of extreme flows, which means there is very little warning time of an impending flood, as witnessed last September. The OPW has advised that there is already one hydrometric gauge in operation on the Owenglin river. While it is envisaged that additional hydrometric river gauges may need be installed on the river, the necessity and location of such gauges, if required, will be identified by the consultants designing the scheme.

I am aware that the Minister of State visited Clifden at the time and took in how difficult it was for the people there. Some 17 houses were flooded and six roads were blocked, so what happened had a significant impact on the people of Clifden. We have heard from previous speakers about the worry and concern families have about flooding. It can have a great impact in terms of insurance and all kinds of things, but its impact on the family home is deeply concerning. The Minister of State said this has gone to procurement stage or the tendering process in the council. Can he advise how long he thinks it will take to be completed?

With regard to the simulation trials, I might have missed an update on those trials for a programme of development through Met Éireann's new national flood forecasting and warning services. I understood that this had been mentioned previously.

I was in Clifden and it was horrific to see the damage. The television pictures often reflect what flooding means to a community, but this was just unbelievable. There were front yards ripped asunder, boulders half as big as where I am sitting were just hurtled onto people's front lawns and houses were devastated. There are houses on the Galway road - the Deputy would be more familiar with them than me - from which people were taken in boats. I had seen the impact of severe flooding in my town of Newcastle West, but this was horrific. The issue was that it was monsoon-type rain. The water level rose as quickly as it went down. By the time I arrived there that evening, aside from a roar from the river, one would not have anticipated that this town had an issue with flooding.

There are a number of outstanding issues between the OPW and Galway County Council. It is a smaller scheme so, ordinarily, it would be carried out by the council. It will be up to the council to do it, but the OPW has committed to guide the council through that because it has the resources in terms of its engineering and technical expertise. If there are issues, we have asked Galway County Council to revert to us. If the Deputy wishes to relay specific issues to me, she can bring them directly to my attention.

I appreciate that, and I appreciate that the Minister of State has outlined how horrendous it was to see. What he outlined was the reality that faced the people of Clifden at that time. As he said, it came and left out of nowhere. It was a massively shocking incident for the people of the area. I appreciate that the OPW will ensure it will work as closely as possible with Galway County Council on any issues the council may have. I hope this will be prioritised by the Government and the council. I gather that the Minister of State fully understands the serious nature of this issue.

I do not wish to bore the Ceann Comhairle. I have already spoken on this matter several times tonight. When one looks at the Question Paper, one can see how relevant an issue this is for the House, given the number of Deputies from all over the country who have raised it. The problem is getting worse. Previously, it was confined to places such as Clonmel, towns on the Suir and low-lying parts of the east of the country. Now it is everywhere. It is happening out of the blue as a result of monsoon-type rain. There are two more storms due between now and the end of the week. I find myself looking at weather alerts every weekend, dreading what will happen to communities that I know, based on mapping, are in serious difficulty. The House will have to do a very serious body of work, and we must depoliticise it. There was no attempt to politicise it tonight, but we will have to grapple with this issue quite rapidly because time is running out for towns and communities across the country. They cannot keep pace with the amount of flooding that is occurring. They need us to change rapidly in order that we can bring the infrastructure they need to them.

Will the Deputy give way to Deputy Doherty for Question No. 98?

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