Louth senator highlights cut down trees and hedgerows removed natural flood barrier in Carlingford
Senator McGahon says to mitigate effects of heavy rains by looking after infrastructure properly
Louth based Senator John McGahon has said that the cutting down of trees and hedgerow in a wooded area behind Trinity Close in Carlingford in recent years, removed natural flood barriers, and that a man-made diversion also saw a stream being completely diverted into the path of houses in Trinity Close.
Senator McGahon was speaking in the Seanad this week, where he was discussing the devastating floods in North Louth and how to ensure it does not happen again.
Welcoming the Government's response to the flooding, Senator McGahon said that "we have not allowed bureaucracy to get in the way and form filling to slow down the process. In particular, the community welfare officer was excellent in ensuring that the money got to people who needed it straight away."
Looking at the flooding in North Louth, Senator McGahon said, "Let us start with Carlingford. Trinity Close and Abbey Court were two of the worst affected estates. All of the homes there flooded. People who had built lives in their homes for the past ten or 20 years saw all of that hard work and effort wiped out by a night of flooding.
"The issue, and one that has been raised with me time and again across the Cooley Peninsula, is that the water had nowhere to go because the drains were blocked and the culverts were not being maintained.
"While we can never negate nature, we can try to mitigate its effects by looking after infrastructure properly. It must fall on local authorities to ensure that drains and culverts are clear.
"When this type of flash flooding happens – water came down off a mountain and had nowhere to go because the drains were not being cleared – it is frustrating for many people.
"Right behind Trinity Close is a wooded area called the Manse. In recent years, many trees and hedgerows there have been cut down. They were natural flood barriers.
"A man-made diversion also saw a stream being completely diverted into the path of the ten to 12 houses of Trinity Close. All of this is concerning."
He continued, "Some roads in other parts of north Louth have been wiped away. For example, the bridge on Deerpark Road in Ravensdale does not exist anymore. Further along the road in Ballymakellett in Ravensdale, a stream flowing off it was akin to a mudslide and destroyed many homes and gardens."
Looking at the impact of the floods in Dundalk, Senator McGahon said that "in parts of Dundalk like Cluan Enda and Bay Estate in particular, there was also bad flooding because there is a problem with the drainage system. This has been a recurring problem over the last five to ten years.
"It is now time that people got proper answers from the local authority. If this has been consistently happening over the last decade what do we now to make it stop?
"I hope the OPW will be able to push that point home in its engagement with Louth County Council. The same applies to the Cooley peninsula, where much of the flooding was flash flooding from the mountains. Much of the flooding was as a result of rivers not being de-silted and properly maintained.
"Rivers burst their banks and destroyed homes. That type of proper maintenance really needs to happen. It is simply inexcusable that it is not done regularly throughout the year by the local authority."
Responding to Senator McGahon, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Joe O'Brien TD, said that "the flooding events in north Louth and the Cooley peninsula last week as a result of heavy rainfall on saturated ground show the importance of the OPW's planned programme to manage Ireland's flood risk.
"The completion of 53 flood relief schemes is already protecting 12,000 properties from flooding and avoiding damages of some €2 billion. The 2018 OPW risk management plans were evidenced from the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State, through the catchment flood risk assessment and management programme.
"These plans provide a proactive and planned approach to managing flood risk. All flood relief schemes are built to be adaptable to the increased risk from climate change. The €1.3 billion available through the national development plan has allowed a trebling since 2018 of schemes at design and construction stage to some 100 schemes."