Flood prevention costs over €4m

€1.4 million spent by Council since start of December

Anton McNulty

The cost of preventing further flooding in parts of Mayo which have been under water for over a month will cost in excess of €4 million.
A presentation on the flooding problem was outlined to members of Mayo County Council at yesterday’s monthly meeting which also revealed that the Council have spent €1.4m to deal with flooding problems since the start of December.
Large parts of Mayo particularly, in the south of the county, have been underwater since heavy rain from Storm Desmond hit the county on December 5. Up to 90 homes in the county had to be evacuated as a result, while in excess of 700 houses were inaccessible, and more than 80 businesses have been affected by flooding.
A pump has been in operation in Cong village since the start of December to prevent flooding and Director of Services, Paddy Mahon revealed that they did not know when they can stop using it.
The Council, he said had, recouped €980,000 of what they spent on flooding from central Government and they will have to evaluate the future cost of flood preventions.
“We will have to evaluate the cost of what we must do now to enhance our infrastructure to prevent future flooding. We would be thinking of €4m, that is an estimate. I cannot give a comprehensive figure, but it will be at least €4m, possibly more.
“In the Claremorris Municipal area alone, there are 84 locations which require some attention. It will cost between €500,000 to €600,000 to raise the road at The Neale crossroads. These are the decisions which will have to be made in the coming months. We will do this in partnership with the Office of Public Works, we need an integrated approach on how to deal with it,” he explained.

In attendance
A number of residents from areas affected by the flooding in south Mayo were in attendance in the Council Chamber to hear the debate. Ballinrobe-based councillor Damien Ryan said it was not acceptable that school children had to endure a 70km round trip to get to school for the past seven weeks.
He added that The Neale crossroads, which was impassable for six weeks, was raised in 2013 and he believes that a drainage plan for local rivers is needed to prevent further flooding.
“We need nothing less than a flood alleviation plan,” he said. “People are more important than flora and fauna and what we need done is drainage. If the National Parks and Wildlife Service oppose it, the obligation is on the Government to get them to step aside and inform them people are sacrosanct.”
Hollymount councillor Patsy O’Brien said he supported Cllr Ryan and asked why the water in Lough Mask and Corrib were not lowered when they were seen to be high in September and October.

EU directives
Sinn Féin councillor Rose Conway-Walsh said that people in government were hiding behind EU directives from preventing work being done and added she did not want more reports being written describing them as an excuse ‘to pay consultants millions’.
Westport councillor Christy Hyland called for a special meeting to allow the OPW and the NPWS to answer their questions. He said families around Carrowholly and Kilmeena were waiting two years for work in their area to prevent flooding and they were praying the next high tide would not bring flooding.
Chief Executive Peter Hynes said the Council were to meet with the OPW this week and they will see what position they will be in after that.