Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like most Deputies, I have spent much time in recent weeks visiting the homes, businesses and farms of flood victims in Carlow and Kilkenny. The rivers Barrow, Nore and Suir flow through much of the constituency and many of the worst affected towns, such as Bennetsbridge, Inistiogue, Thomastown, Graiguenamanagh, Carrick-On-Suir, St. Mullin's, Carrigeen, Piltown and Mooncoin, are situated close to these waterways. Therefore, the single most important action that must come out of this devastation is the implementation of adequate and effective flood measures to protect these communities from further damage in the future.

The most logical starting point is to increase the €45 million annual budget for flood defences. In a constituency such as mine, which features three major waterways, significant investment in flood defences is step one in offering flood victims reassurance for the future. I call on the Minister of State, Deputy Harris, to dramatically ramp up this avenue of funding. Kilkenny city is a prime example of how effective and appropriate funding for flood defences can ensure that efficient management of drainage works can be worked out. The works in Kilkenny were carried out some years ago and have been a complete success. Not one house in Kilkenny was flooded this time. This proves it can be done with a will and a way.

The Government must take note of this success story and do much more to manage drainage on the Barrow, Nore and Suir in Carlow and Kilkenny. Since taking office, the Government has implemented short-sighted, year-on-year cuts to the drainage maintenance budget for rivers.

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The flood drainage budget has been cut by an average of 3% each year, or by 12% since 2010. The effective management of drains and rivers is a realistic measure that can make a lasting difference. I ask the Government to examine the current set-up with a renewed focus. The local authorities are to be commended on their ongoing work in assisting flood victims. Staff worked above and beyond the call of duty in recent weeks, with many of them sacrificing their Christmas to assist those who were forced to cancel Christmas. Unfortunately, the Government is continuing to undermine their efforts. For example, many municipal districts remain under-resourced. When I became a member of Kilkenny County Council in 1992, there were between ten and 15 men under a road overseer, or ganger as we used to call him, in each municipal district. Graiguenamanagh, which was one of the most severely flooded towns in my constituency, currently has just three men available on its road crew due to illness and retirements. Those who are not available are not being replaced. This is happening all over the constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. The Minister, Deputy Kelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, are wasting hundreds of thousands of euro on a review of the boundary between counties Kilkenny and Waterford, but they are happy to leave local authority crews stretched to breaking point.

I would like to mention another aspect of this matter for which the Minister, Deputy Kelly, is responsible. I am calling for the suspension of water charges for people whose water supplies have been affected by the recent flooding, which caused severe disruption to water infrastructure in County Kilkenny and elsewhere. Excess water is wreaking havoc on the water supply system. As a result, there are regular interruptions in the water supply to homes, businesses and farms. Today alone, and this is the tip of the iceberg, the residents of Ballygriffin, Curraghmartin, Portnahully, Mountneil, Corluddy, Dungooley, Aglish, Mooncoin village, Dournane and Ballybrassil had their water supply interrupted for up to 12 hours because of burst water mains. This is the fourth time in two weeks that this has happened. People in those areas have spent four of the last 14 days without any water as a result of burst pipes. I am receiving updates from the county council on a daily basis on other towns and villages across the county which have been affected. The water infrastructure is simply not up to scratch. Fianna Fáil believes no water charges should be imposed until the entire infrastructure is brought up to standard. I am reliably informed that many concerned residents of Graiguenamanagh are still buying their water due to the presence of cryptosporidium in their water supplies. The presence of this parasite, which can cause severe illness, was confirmed by Irish Water last November. It is a scandal that people living in the Graiguenamanagh area are being forced to pay water charges even though the water being supplied to them could make them sick if it is not boiled. Irish Water has cost the State over €750 million to date. People expect this money to be spent on upgrading our water infrastructure and improving our vital water services.

The flood waters are subsiding, but this problem is not going anywhere. I assure the House that we will be dealing with the same problems in the future unless drastic changes are made. I ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to pay attention to country roads, which have already been mentioned. I refer particularly to gullies and inlets that have not been opened for years. I recently had the pleasure of meeting a man who spent three days assessing an area of 500 m. He found two complete drainage systems under the clay that had not been opened for 20 years. He could not ever remember them being opened. No one knew they were there, but they would have taken all the water during the wet weather. If those pipes and drains had been open, a house in the locality that was under a 1.5 ft. deluge would not have been affected. We need workers on the ground. There is no use in having people go in and out with JCBs unless there are workers with them cleaning the gullies and dykes.

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