Editorial: Kilkenny's flood-hit households face winter of worry

Beleaguered householders were again rushing for the sandbags on Monday as torrents of rain fell on Kilkenny.

Rivers and streams burst their banks and local roads were turned into waterways. In some cases, they were rendered impassable.

Worse still, some homeowners saw water breach their scramble defences and devastate their properties. In South Kilkenny, residents spoke of their shock and sadness as houses that never flooded before were left with water-damaged rooms.

It was troubling indeed to see our busy fire and rescue crews deployed to local schools, including in Inistioge and Freshford, to ferry young students from their classrooms out to their parents on drier land.

We saw alarming scenes just prior to the summer, when consecutive huge downfalls of rain saw flash flooding in a number of spots, including business premises in Kilkenny City.

Climate change is playing a part in this, and it is likely we  are going to see more of it.It’s also possible that factors like land development, clearance of trees and vegetation, and other things affecting natural water courses and drainage are impacting areas that never before saw these issues.

Whatever the causes, the now regular weather warnings and the sight of a prolonged spell of rain mean a worrying time for a lot of people. As we bid goodbye to October, plenty of householders look to the onset of the winter months with a sense of dread.

A good body of work will be needed to clear drains and culverts and explore potential engineering solutions to these problems, as well as implementing wider, more comprehensive flood relief plans.

KKB AWARDS
It was great to see the city’s best and brightest gardens, estates and businesses all celebrated at the annual Keep Kilkenny Beautiful Awards this week.

The tireless work of so many, including volunteers and council staff, to help keep Kilkenny looking its best deserves to be heralded. Well done to all involved.