Flooding after Storm Desmond may “get worse before it gets better” across parts of the western seaboard, according to a senior local authority engineer.
The rivers Shannon, Suck, Clare and Dunkellin, and tributaries are continuing to absorb a month's rainfall in a day, and "the next 24 hours will be crucial", said Galway County Council director of services, Liam Gavin. "In some areas, it could be worse than it was six years ago [during the severe flooding of November 2009]."
Emergency measures are being taken to protect houses and businesses in the towns of Ballinasloe and Portumna, and in Claregalway village, Mr Gavin said.
Pumping involving tractors and slurry tankers was continuing in Ballinasloe’s St Michael Square yesterday to try to stabilise water levels. The Army, Civil Defence and Fire Service are working with the council to sandbag vulnerable areas in Portumna and Claregalway.
The village of Craughwell has already been cut off since Sunday, as have a number of communities in karst limestone areas to the east and south of Galway city. However, Mr Gavin said he hoped the level of the Dunkellin river through this part of the county to Kinvara would drop in the next two days.
Boil-water notice
A precautionary boil-water notice is in place in areas served by the Ballinasloe regional water treatment plant, as untreated water infiltrated the plant when the river Suck began to rise at the weekend.
Irish Water said some 10,300 customers in the Ballinasloe area were affected, as were residents served by the Kiltormer and Clontuskert group water schemes.
It said there was no long-term damage to the plant, and that an operational team was on site and pumping out some 50,000 gallons of water per hour.
“We need an overall plan for flooding that does not result in engineering works in one area just pushing problems further down rivers,” said south Galway farmer Michael Kelly. “We have no idea of the full impact on underground streams and turloughs of the motorway works currently underway between Gort and Tuam.”
Greater co-ordination between State agencies was also called for by Ballinasloe auctioneer Pat Finn, whose premises in St Michael’s Square was flooded on Sunday. “It’s too late for me and several of my neighbours, but I’d hope that the response now would save other businesses,” he said.
Bandon march
Meanwhile, Bandon came to a standstill last night when up to 1,500 people marched through the town calling on the Government to deliver immediately on the town’s flood relief scheme.
The rally organised by the Friends of Bandon follows flood damage to dozens of businesses and homes.
Editor of the Opinion magazine Eddie Goggin told the rally: "Tonight Bandon has spoken and we have sent out a clear message to Simon Harris . You have within your grasp to sign off the scheme next January and once you do that, it should be full steam ahead for the Bandon flood relief scheme."
He said two years had been wasted since the OPW sought tenders only for a contractor who did not make the shortlist to threaten legal action and the OPW to withdraw tender documents. It was only last month tender documents were sent out again, he said. No work had taken place, and the town was left exposed to flooding, he said.
Yesterday Mr Harris said the OPW was “progressing the Bandon project as a matter of urgency”, with work due to commence in 2016 and completion scheduled for 2018.
