Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I fully support the proposal to establish a River Shannon management agency. Over many years, I have called for a single overarching authority to manage the Shannon. As an MEP, I represented eight of the 11 counties through which the Shannon flows, namely, Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath, Offaly, Clare and Galway. I have attended meetings in all those counties, dealing for the most part with flooding. For the past 20 years, at every meeting without exception, I have heard landowners, homeowners, business owners, community groups and environmental groups all call for a single body to co-ordinate the work of the agencies that manage the Shannon.

The Shannon is a massive piece of infrastructure that has been neglected since the foundation of the State. It has been used as a dumping ground for fallen trees and thousands of tonnes of silt that come from our commercial bogs. Thousands of people in many of the counties I mentioned cannot get flood insurance. They live in constant fear of heavy rain. Our main problem with flooding is that we react to floods and do not prepare for them. The creation of an overarching authority for the Shannon is crucial and will mean we do not deal with problems in a piecemeal fashion.

I support the Government amendment, provided that the nine-month period is used to draw up a comprehensive plan to fully co-ordinate the work and responses of the agencies. Earlier, I listened to Deputy Canney, whose commitment to alleviating flooding is unquestioned. He warns against getting tied up in red tape and the need to continue with different schemes in parallel with any legislation establishing the agency.

It is crucial that we involve local people in decision-making. Some time ago, I met a group in Carrick-on-Shannon which has professional expertise as well as local knowledge, often acquired over generations, on everything from water flow and pinch points to soil types and managing water levels. All of this needs to feed into a fuller understanding of how to manage this great river.

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