Parlon should back flooding advertising with action
Green Party Chairman John Gormley TD today criticised Minister Tom Parlon for failing to provide adequate money for flood defences, while at the same time funding a serious of ads on the radio on the question of flooding.
“The website helpfully tells people that they are at risk of flooding if (a) your house has flooded in the past, (b) flooding has occurred before in your area, (c) there is local concern in your community about the risk of flooding, (d) your house is near an open water source such as a river, a lake, stream, ditches or drains, (e) your house is in a hollow or a low lying area where flood water could collect and (f) Ordnance Survey maps indicate liable to floods at the location of your property,” said Mr Gormley. “Frankly, my constituents don’t really need to be told this. What they need from Mr Parlon and Dublin City Council is the provision of flood defences quickly.”
“Despite repeated promises nothing has happened in the Ringsend area besides the building of a relatively small section of wall in front of the Stella Gardens area. From Londonbridge Road down to Lansdowne Road there is absolutely no flood protection in place and likewise on the other side of the river towards South Lotts, the lack of any barrier will mean floods will occur in these areas. Large sections of Sandymount, too, are liable to flooding and no protection work has been carried out despite promises made.”
“What good is it advising people to use sandbags in the event of flooding? As I know from working with constituents who have suffered this, by the time you get the sandbags it’s far too late. It would seem, once again, that this is an exercise in spin by a Government trying to give the impression that it is doing something about flooding and global warming, when in fact it is doing very little indeed,” Mr Gormley concluded.