Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will today deal with something that is very topical. Because of his Roscommon connections, the Deputy Leader will know what I am going to talk about, which is Lough Funshinagh and the serious flooding in south Roscommon. The callows area along the River Shannon has flooded for years and years. Part of Senator Kyne's county in south Galway also floods very badly. I posted a video on social media last week in which I travelled to Clonown in south Roscommon where literally thousands of acres of land are now flooded. The farmers have moved their stock off it. Roscommon County Council had carried out considerable work on the roadways in the area in recent months, raising them in the hope that floods would not interfere with them.

However, I was brought on a bit of a tour by some of the farmers up there and it was extraordinary to see the water cutting off some roads. In light of the forecast that the incessant rain of recent weeks is going to continue, I fear for local communities. Farmers move their cattle off the land in time because everybody understands most of that land is going to flood. The problem we are now going to have is that households and people may be cut off. This creates very significant problems. We had this problem in 2016 and in 2009 so it looks like it is coming every six or seven years. Nobody can say that such flooding is a once in 100 years event anymore.

Perhaps the Deputy Leader could talk to the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, OPW, Deputy O'Donovan, who is very aware of the situation, with a view to ensuring that all of the agencies including the OPW, the ESB and everybody else involved with the Shannon can keep the water flowing. When I say that, I do not mean that people downstream in Clare or Limerick should be flooded. However, we sometimes find that gates are not opened in Meelick. Senator Gavan will not want me to flood Limerick but we should ensure that as much water as possible is let go to avoid people in our region being very badly affected again.

With regard to Lough Funshinagh, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, will be meeting with a local group and Oireachtas people next Thursday here in Dublin to see if a way out can be found. All in all, it is just a question of the weather and the incessant rainfall and of the hardship and misfortune being brought to many people, particularly in the Roscommon and Galway region.