Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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Many people have made the point that because of the pinch points and the water levels changing, and given that much water is held in different areas, it has widened embankments. What is causing many of the flash floods at the moment is that while the river bed may be 15 m wide, when the water comes there may be a section downstream that is only 6 m wide because it has not had the flow from above. That is causing flooding in areas that are not flood plains. To get a proper reading of abstractions and points, we have to ensure that where the main stream has these problems and if there is a flash flood, it can get to where it needs to go, without being held by a stopper being put in the way until it reaches a certain volume. In such cases, the water just flows out and comes in in a different direction, which is turning our roadways into rivers.