Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane has accused the Office of Public Works of inaction on the on-going issue of flooding at Lough Funshinagh and called for Taoiseach Micheál Martin to intervene.
Speaking in the Dáil this week, Deputy Kerrane said: “As I stand here today, two family homes are under immediate threat from flooding – one home with a couple in their eighties and the other, a mother in her seventies. A hosepipe at both homes is all that is keeping the rising water levels out.
“What, as public representatives are we doing here today when we have elderly citizens in their homes at risk of flooding? This has gone beyond a joke. I want to see action on this today, not reports, not meetings, actual action.
“We need to see the OPW. We need this water drained and we need that done today.
In response, the Taoiseach committed to engage with the OPW to get alleviation as soon as possible for the homes and landowners involved.
Kerrane, who wrote to the OPW last November and is still awaiting a response from them concluded, saying: “I have written to the Taoiseach in follow up and expect to see immediate action. The permanent solution has been identified and costed, that won’t happen overnight but it needs to be delivered.
“In the immediate meantime, we need to see this area drained right now”.
