Shannon gates to be opened to prevent summer flooding

Murphy calls for Shannon gates to be opened to prevent summer flooding 

Fianna Fail Deputy for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy has called for the gates at Parteen and Melick on the River Shannon system to be opened in a bid to alleviate the threat of summer flooding as water levels in the Clonown and Athlone area have risen significantly in recent weeks.

Deputy Murphy who is the Fianna Fail Junior spokesperson on the OPW and flood relief in the west has called on the Minister of State for Flood Relief Sean Canney to instruct the ESB to open the Shannon gates at Parteen and to also open a number of gates in Melick.

 “I understand that there are nine gates still closed in the Melick area at this time of year and if a number of those gates were opened along with the gates at Parteen it would go some way towards helping to alleviate the threat of any summer flooding. The water levels in the Clonown and Athlone area has risen by nine or ten inches in recent weeks and the people of Clonown cannot face the misery of flooding once again as they have been under siege in relation to flood waters in recent times and they are extremely anxious that unless some action is taken immediately they may be facing into the threat of summer flooding,” concluded Deputy Murphy. 

Government need to face up to the reality of flash flooding

Fianna Fail TD for Roscommon/Galway Eugene Murphy has said that the ongoing threat of flash flooding is a reality which the Government needs to address and the Castleplunkett area has suffered considerably in this regard in recent times with people left stranded in their homes and roads cut off for long periods of time. Deputy Murphy was speaking following his attendance at a special meeting in relation to flooding in the Castleplunkett area which has held on Wednesday night in Kilmurray Hall.

“The sense of anxiety and fear amongst the people of the Castleplunkett area was palpable at the recent public meeting as so many fear the return of flash flooding which has already caused such devastation in the area. The Castleplunkett to Ballintubber road was closed for long periods and the road is still in a deplorable condition while many people were stranded in their homes and in some cases even the fire brigade could not gain access to homes- this is a nightmare situation for the people of Castleplunkett but there are things which can be done to help prevent such future devastation. The Government does not seem to be at the point of accepting that flash flooding is now a reality and new flood defence systems need to be introduced in County Roscommon as a matter of urgency,” said Deputy Murphy. 

The Fianna Fail Deputy said that he was currently in the process of organising a trip to the Cumbria area of England to witness at first hand the successful flood defence mechanisms which are in place in that region while Deputy Murphy said that he is planning to bring a Cumbrian based expert on flood defence systems to County Roscommon to install a model of a flood defence system in a local house. 

“The Government has to step up to the mark in relation to the reality of flash flooding and adequate flood defence measures need to be introduced to County Roscommon to ensure that the people of Castleplunkett and indeed other affected areas of the county do not face such a nightmare situation in the future,” concluded Deputy Murphy.