I welcome the opportunity to raise once again the tragedy of the recurring flooding in and around Clonmel, in my constituency, which has caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage to property and great upset to families and businesses.
I want to record my appreciation to all the agencies which again have come to the rescue in these circumstances, including the Army, Civil Defence, the local authorities, voluntary organisations and the townspeople in Clonmel. Many people will have seen the coverage on television - I hope the Minister saw it also — of this tragic occurrence in the town.
I know the Minister is aware of the extent of the flood damage which has occurred on three occasions this year and up to seven times in the past three years. I know and accept that the Office of Public Works has carried out extensive investigations and research into the causes and consequences of flooding in this area. Following a meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Cullen, I know he is prepared to give priority to the town of Clonmel when a decision is made on the option to be followed. However, pending that decision there is no doubt in my mind or in the minds of others in south Tipperary that urgent action is needed to alleviate, to some extent, the possibility of further flooding in the event of further heavy rainfall.
Many of the locals, some of whom experienced some form of flooding dating back to the 1940s, confirmed that the town of Clonmel is flooded almost immediately following up to 24 hours of heavy rain. They also hold a view the Rivers Ara and Aherlow come into spate much more quickly than heretofore. Those two rivers, which join the River Suir before reaching the town of Cahir, are already in spate because they are fed first from the mountain streams on the Galtees and from large tracts of lands, many of which have been drained. That leads to a much faster flow into the river waters creating the problem and gives rise to a large volume of water entering Clonmel via Ardfinnan, which is under water. The school there is closed and Newcastle is also flooded because of the River Tar which joins it there having flooded Goldenbridge. To compound matters downstream from Clonmel town many developments have taken place on lands which were originally natural flood plains. Those lands are immediately flooded by the River Anner which joins the River Suir at that stage and because the River Anner is flooded a combination of those rivers flow down to Carrick-on-Suir where the flow of water is obstructed by high tides.
There is a serious problem of flooding in Clonmel that requires urgent and immediate attention pending the major scheme promised by the Minister of State's office. The question of compensation for the unfortunate victims of flooding must be central to any Government reaction. The previous Government, in addition to commissioning a major report which is in the Minister of State's office, was required to and did pay compensation to those affected. Today, three days after the commencement of this flooding, which was still affecting Clonmel this morning, the people await the urgent response of the Minister of State.
