Resolution imminent in Moneymore flooding dispute

Written by Marie Madden

Wednesday, 19 December 2007

Galway County Manager Martina Moloney is to meet with Moneymore residents this week, following angry protests over flooding in the area.

The meeting is expected to take place on Friday 21 December. Cllr Jim Cuddy is hopeful a resolution to the ongoing flooding problem can be reached.

"I have been making representations to Galway County Council for 18 months on this issue and following a meeting yesterday with the County Manager and her officials, she has agreed to a meeting with the residents on Friday morning.

"Even though there are five parties interested in a resolution to this problem, no one appears to be taking responsibility. The five interested parties are: the OPW, the Fisheries Board, developers, the estate management company and Galway County Council."

Cllr Cuddy urged all sides to find a resolution immediately, saying the situation could not be allowed to continue.

"I will be attending the meeting on Friday morning, along with my colleague Deputy Noel Grealish and I am hopeful that there will be positive news following the meeting."

Moneymore has experienced serious flooding in the past number of weeks, with one family having to move out of their home. According to Galway Senator Fidelma Healy Eames, the flooding is due to a single blocked drain, which has yet to be rectified. She said she attended the protest at the weekend and was disgusted with the lack of action from Galway County Council.

"Due to flooding in the area, I have reports of a mother without a car who can't get her children to school, a school bus that won't travel, septic tanks filling up and refuse trucks unable to pick up the rubbish. This is a very serious health and safety issue. For more than a week now, I have been trying to resolve this with Galway Council. In their view, they are free of all blame and the problem is all down to a single drain, which hasn't been maintained by a local developer.

"That an entire family had to evacuate their home highlights just how serious this flooding was. The Gilmore family should never have been put in that position and their suffering is being replicated across the area with lives being hugely disrupted. I fully support the protest and hope this action, along with representations I have made to the council results in a speedy and full resolution of the problem."

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