A Donegal County Councillor has called for more action to tackle the effects of climate change in the Letterkenny-Milford area.
Cllr Ciaran Brogan is calling for a pilot project to explore cleaning drains, burrens and land to prevent flooding.
Speaking at the January meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford MD, he said the issue is more pressing now that ever before.
Donegal County Council adopted the Donegal Climate Adaptation Strategy 2019 – 2024 (CAS) in September 2019. Seventy-two action plans resulted from the strategy, with three-quarters currently ongoing or completed. Flood relief schemes are also in progress in key areas.
Cllr Brogan, however, said a lot of discussion on climate change is “only a lip service”.
“Climate change is more than documents and reports, it’s down to the water course, bridges and flooding, I think that is something that people forget,” he said.
Ballymacool Row Flooding, 30th June 2021
He expressed frustration with the delay in response from the OPW on the cleaning of the third eye at Oldtown Bridge, and asked for a joint pilot project to be led by Donegal County Council, engaging with Irish Water, the Office of Public Works, the National Parks and Wildlife service, to see how basic works can be carried out to make sure the burrens are clean, that the sheughs are clean and how bridges can be restored.
“We only have to look at the areas challenged like Gartan lake down to Ramelton, where people are being prohibited from cleaning and improving their own land because of wildlife directives, and yet the whole thing is being flooded,” Cllr Brogan said.
Flooding at Gartan, 3rd January 2022
“It’s high time we got serious about this,” he said, highlighting other incidents of recent flooding at Oldtown and Swilly View in Letterkenny.
“You can put out all the reports you like but the reality is there is nothing happening on the ground, the sooner we get down to brass tacks, the better.”
