Cathaoirleach of County Galway Liam Carroll has called for work to commence immediately to prevent ongoing and future flooding on thr N83 roadway in the centre of Claregalway village.
Cllr Carroll said this week that he had numerous phone calls, text messages and emails especially on Friday last when the main road outside the shopping area in the village was 75% flooded for a distance of up to 50 metres, making it extremely difficult for motorists and pedestrians to navigate. The footpath on the left hand side adjacent to the Centra store was completely under water.
He further stated that the time for talking about flooding issues in the centre of the village is now over when he said “I’m now calling for immediate action to end once and for all the much too regular flooding and destruction which the residents of Claregalway have had to experience on an all too frequent basis”.
“We have been told time and time again that the plans are in place to remedy the situation.Plans on paper are of no use to residents, to businesses, to motorists or to pedestrians.
“These plans now need to be dusted down with immediate effect and a drainage scheme put in place to remedy the all too regular and ongoing flooding such as happened last week, according to Cllr Carroll.
He said that councillors were advised in 2019 that a flood relief scheme for Claregalway village was being progressed as a matter of urgency.
“However here we are in 2023, four years later, and the residents and businesses continue to experience continuous flooding once there is a heavy shower of rain. I visited the village at the request of residents on Friday and witnessed traffic travelling in the direction of Tuam having to veer over into the incoming lane to navigate through the floods.
“This was a very dangerous situation and it was a serious accident waiting to happen.
“In 2009 the floods which devestated many areas of Galway county were described as a “once in a 1,000 years” disaster. Since then we’ve had Storm Darwin in 2014, Storm Desmond in 2016, made famous by RTE reporter Teresa Mannion, Storm Ophelia in October 2017, Storm Ellen in 2020 and Storm Barra in 2021.
“In between and since we’ve had many bouts of torrential rainfall. A common denominator is that the N83 in Claregalway has experienced serious flooding on each occasion.
A climatologist at Met Eireann said at the weekend more extreme weather and heavier rainfall was projected in Ireland as global temperatures continued to rise. This, according to Cllr Carroll, will continue to have an adverse impact on Claregalway unless remedial action is taken without further delays.
Cllr Carroll stated that some of the callers who contacted him last week were very angry at the lack of action from Galway County Council and pleaded with him to use his influence as Cathaoirleach to ensure that a flood relief scheme was commenced immediately.
In his capacity as a councillor for the Claregalway area, Cllr Carroll gave an undertaking to speak this week with the Senior Engineer for the Municipal District and with the Director of Services for Infrastructure & Emergency Services to ascertain a definite timescale for the commencement of works on the long awaited and overdue flood relief scheme for Claregalway Village.
