Council Urged To 'Stop Stalling' On Flood Defence Works

Galway County Council has been urged to "stop stalling" and ensure that work on a flood relief channel between Kinvara and Chaermore is carried out "without delay".

Making the call, Fianna Fáil General Election candidate for Galway East Cllr. Anne Rabbitte, raised concerns that the ongoing delays will see the project pushed out indefinitely. It is understood that she will be raising the matter at a meeting of the Loughrea Municipal Council meeting tomorrow.

"Despite attracting local and national attention, Galway County Council is refusing to commit to digging a channel between Kinvara and Cahermore to relieve the pressure on the river and allow flood waters to subside. This work would have an immediate impact on nearby homes and farms and would go a long way to preventing a repeat of the savage flooding that has been experienced by families in south Galway over the past two months," Cllr. Rabbitte said.

"I am extremely agitated by Council's continuous stalling on this issue. Families have seen their homes devastated before their eyes, yet despite a sensible solution being proposed, Galway County Council is continuing to stall. I recently cited the work that was done in Co. Donegal after the river Finn burst its banks and called for similar action to be taken here in south Galway. Despite being backed by farmers and local communities alike, the council has refused to give the go-ahead for work to begin.

"Flooding may have fallen off this Government's agenda now that the cameras have gone back to Dublin, but the problems in south Galway have not gone away. Having forgotten the many communities devastated by these winter storms, Enda Kenny is coming back to town tomorrow. Instead of stopping for photo opportunities and soundbites, the Taoiseach should be ensuring that the necessary flood relief works are initiated without delay and not continuously stalled as is the situation in Kinvara."

(MH/LM)