I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, to the Chamber.
Flooding on Lough Funshinagh: Statements
I join my colleague, the Cathaoirleach, in welcoming the Malaysian delegation, led by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. bin Abdul, and the Malaysian ambassador to Ireland. I also welcome the former members of the Catalonian Parliament. They are all welcome to Ireland. As I told the Malaysian delegation, I hope the former members of the Catalonian Parliament get the opportunity to visit Limerick, a city near Shannon that I represent in our Parliament.
I thank everyone for the opportunity to address the very important issue of flooding at Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon. I know it is of huge interest to Members in the House, particularly Senators Dolan and Murphy who live in and represent that area, as well as many other Members in the region and throughout Ireland.
To put it in context, I was recently appointed Minister of State with responsibility\ for the Office of Public Works, OPW. I was appointed on a Wednesday and two days later I visited Lough Funshinagh along with officials from the OPW, Roscommon County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service to see for myself exactly what the position was on the ground. I saw at first hand the devastating impact the excessive water levels in Lough Funshinagh is having on homeowners, farmers and the wider community. I really saw the devastation that is being caused to the ecology of this important habitat. That is hugely important as well. One thing I found when I visited the people living around Lough Funshinagh was how warm they are and how difficult a time they have had, but also their love for Lough Funshinagh itself in terms of biodiversity. It is hugely important to them. They were able to point out trees that were dying and which they would have looked at their entire lives. I found them to be a very cultured people and very much in tune with nature. They are undergoing huge devastation as a result of the constant flooding there, however, and many have had to leave their homes.
I will give some background on Lough Funshinagh itself. The eight towns that straddle Lough Funshinagh have lived in harmony with it for decades. There is a long history of farming and community activity on and around the lake, which includes the playing of sports on the bed of the lake when dry and also fishing and hunting and its designation as a wildlife sanctuary.
Historically the highest levels in the lake were typically about 66 m above Poolbeg ordnance datum, mOD. The land, when dry, is used as commonage for farming, and the community works to preserve the rich biodiversity associated with this area. It is hugely important to the people living around it, including farmers and the rest of the community, and we should not in any way lose sight of that. It is one feature that struck me.
Since 2016, this turlough, or dry and disappearing lake, in a special area of conservation, SAC, has not drained as it did previously. The water levels at Lough Funshinagh this month are at their highest recorded levels. The rainfall analysis suggests that the flooding in Lough Funshinagh is a result of heavy rainfall over several consecutive years that restricts the lake from getting a chance to recover or drain back to normal levels.
Based on the water level data since 2016, it can be seen that the lake is very predictable with regard to the time of year at which the peak levels occur. For the past six years, the highest peak level in each year has occurred in the four-week period between 15 March and 17 April. Since 2015-16, the levels in Lough Funshinagh have peaked at new recorded levels. In April 2021, levels in Lough Funshinagh reached a then record high of 69.04 mOD, which is some 1 m above the previous recorded high in 2016. Between January and April 2024, the average daily rise in the lough continued at approximately 1 cm. On 20 April 2024, the levels reached their highest ever recorded, at 69.38 mOD, or 3.38 m above the normal annual high level of 66 mOD. Today, the levels are at 69.31 mOD, or 3.31 m above the normal annual high level of 66 mOD. This extra 3.31 m spans an extended area of 178 ha. The additional volume of water contained in this extended area is approximately 3 million cu. m or the equivalent of 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools by volume. It is just gigantic in proportions.
The rising water levels have led to public safety, human life and environmental issues and continue to impact heavily on the homeowners and community surrounding the lake, including farmers in the area. Having visited the community two days after I was appointed to this office with officials from the OPW, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Roscommon County Council, I have witnessed the human impact of flooding at Lough Funshinagh, including more than 500 ha of agricultural land that has been submerged, with water spilling onto public roads and surrounding residential housing, farmyards and businesses.
Particular transport routes, including the R362 regional road and four other local primary and secondary routes, have been made impassable, isolating communities and hindering emergency response efforts.
Unusually deep floodwaters pose significant health and safety risks, not only to residents but also to officials servicing pumps near the water's edge. There is also the psychological impact on people, which is enormous. I have also witnessed the ecological impact this flooding is having, including on water quality due to submerged septic tanks and farmyard buildings, dead trees appearing over the water levels of the lake, and the disappearance of wild fowl that were part of the turlough's ecosystem.
This morning, I travelled to meet people around Lough Funshinagh and officials from the OPW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Roscommon County Council. I also met the Lough Funshinagh action group and TDs, Senators and councillors, including Senators Murphy and Dolan. We had what I hope was a very frank and open discussion. We are all about finding solutions.
Roscommon County Council has deployed every emergency response achievable measure it can, through road raising, pumping and sandbags, to keep the rising water levels from entering people’s properties. It is not possible to pump the water away from the area, just to pump it back into the lake and keep it away from properties. The OPW is supplying seven pumps to Roscommon County Council. It is servicing these pumps on site to support the council’s efforts to mitigate and manage the flood risk. At present, 11 properties at risk from floodwaters are being defended. In four of these properties, the floor level is below the level of water on the lake. Lough level changes are being closely monitored and risk-assessed on site by Roscommon County Council. The Civil Defence has also been requested by Roscommon County Council to undertake local patrols to gain familiarity with the local terrain and it has done so over recent weekends. In the week commencing 8 April 2024, Roscommon County Council had to evacuate two families from their properties and close a regional road, the R362 at Curraghboy, except for local access. These measures will remain in place for some months.
In 2021, Roscommon County Council started works to lay an underground pipe to take the excess waters, by gravity, to the River Shannon. These works, at a cost of some €2 million, are 60% complete. They are being carried out by the OPW. On two occasions, Roscommon County Council was stopped, through judicial review, from undertaking and completing emergency works to install an overflow pipe to take away the excess water from Lough Funshinagh to the River Shannon, which is 3 km away, and to reduce the levels back to their normal high level of 66 mOD. These works for an overflow pipe were designed by an engineering and environmental consultant and were screened for their impact on the environment and the special area of conservation. As a result, Roscommon County Council has, since March 2022, been progressing design and environmental assessments to find a solution to flooding in this area that can withstand judicial challenges. As with all flood relief measures that are complex, this route will take some years. Roscommon County Council has established a steering group and expert working group with cross-governmental representatives, including the OPW and National Parks and Wildlife Service, to inform and support this approach.
There is the question of next winter, however. While the cyclical nature of this turlough suggests that water levels will decrease over the summer months, the excessive rainfall this year, some 130% above average levels recorded since 1952, is an indicator of the risk of an even worse situation occurring next winter. This is what we want to address. Hence, since taking office I have been trying to find a solution, with the OPW and Roscommon County Council, to reduce the levels in the lake over this summer ahead of next winter. These measures will serve several purposes, including the necessary management of the designated Natura site to restore the ecological status of Lough Funshinagh and, as a consequence, removing the flood risk, and the threat and impact of flooding to people’s lives and livelihoods and their communities.
Any conservation measure necessary for the restoration of this designated site must also mitigate any damage to the designated site at Lough Ree, where the excess waters are likely to be discharged. Roscommon County Council has established an expert working group for Lough Funshinagh that is compiling a report to establish evidence to support interventions that are necessary for the management of this designated Natura site, namely to restore the ecological condition of Lough Funshinagh. We need to put in place temporary measures this summer in advance of next winter, and I am conscious of this.
Legal advice has been requested to establish the best statutory consent route for any conservation measures to be undertaken as soon as possible, that may be highlighted by this report, to ensure the conservation objectives of the qualifying interests of the site are being met.
Meetings and discussions between the Attorney General, myself as Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, OPW officials, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, and Roscommon County Council have been held to discuss and scope out the issues involved. Intensive engagement will continue on the matter.
As the Minister of State has said, the Lough Funshinagh region in south Roscommon is an absolutely stunning limestone landscape of rolling hills. It contains the islands of Inchnamona and Inchmore. Lough Funshinagh is a turlough, which means it is a disappearing lake. However we know, fully, that it has not disappeared. In fact there has been nothing since 2016 only an increase, year after year, day after day. The SAC to the west of Lough Ree is actually at quite a high altitude, compared to Lough Ree. There are SAC conservation objectives about restoring the favourable status of habitats and species. Many of the feeding areas of wintering and breeding birds are now lost. Flood waters have risen, as I have said, year after year. This year saw the highest levels ever. The water is not disappearing. Damage has been done to the SAC and this is having a damaging impact on the people who are living there. We know there is a rich environmental heritage in the area. I know that farmers in the area have been the custodians of that landscape. They have been the custodians of that land and of that area and of the beauty that has been there for generations. I am talking about the families who live in the farming communities of Ballagh, Rahara, Lisfelim, Ardmullen, Gortfree and close to Curraghboy.
Like many of our public representatives, TDs, Senators and councillors, I have visited many times over recent years. We have regularly met with the Lough Funshinagh crisis committee and families in the area. I visited families and councillors there again recently. I speak regularly with the director of services in Roscommon County Council. I acknowledge the Trojan efforts of its teams on the ground to keep families safe. I have seen them with sandbags and pumps, literally on the water's edge, trying to keep the water back. Some might say it is an impossible task, but they have succeeded, even in spite of the highest water levels we have ever seen. The Minister of State mentioned that the lough reached high flood levels of 69.3 m above sea level. There is such community pride in this area. The Minister of State has seen this. I acknowledge that the Minister of State came to the area within a few days of coming into office. The community, which has such pride in its area, has had nothing but a rollercoaster experience, from flooding devastation, to a solution being proposed and progressed, to it being halted. This year again saw utter devastation in the area with the floods at their highest ever levels. This has caused mental anguish for people living in the area. The people have called their situation a living nightmare.
Recently, on 6 April, Storm Kathleen caused ferocious waves with winds driving waves and water overtopping into properties. I know the Minister of State has met these families. Mr. Kearney, like so many others, has his farm right on the water's edge in Ballagh. The pumps could not compete against the waves and the wind. What happened? Flooding into people's properties. The farmers have pushed out the lambing season. In other words, they are hopeful that they will have a little bit more land to actually farm on, to look after their lambs and sheep.
Mr. Barry Martin in Gortfree showed me the portrait that was made famous as a front page of The Irish Times. It is an aerial shot of his home. We can see really well-kept slatted sheds. The Minister has seen the photograph taken a few years ago of immaculately kept farmyards, with bales of silage and green, leafy trees. Now, all those trees stand shorn of leaves because they stand dead in the water.
These floodwaters creep relentlessly into the yard and into the sheds which are now under metres of water. A farm livelihood, built over 90 years, now stands desolate. The R362 regional road between Curraghboy and Rahara is now flooded. People cannot get from one place to another, which illustrates the impact on local communities. These families have suffered so much. Two families, including a young mother and her children, had to be evacuated, which the Minister of State noted in his speech. They have shared their distress on national and local media. Through all this devastation, these families have hope.
They have hope to restore wildlife and they have hope to protect their homes. That hope rests now. They need action.
The Minister of State and I spoke in his first few hours in office. Within a couple of days, the Minister of State was down to visit them on 12 April. As he mentioned, he, with the OPW and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, met with these families. He saw their stories and experiences. He saw the hell they are living in right now.
The amount of investment and work to date by Roscommon County Council, under its chief executive, Mr. Shane Tiernan, is clear. In 2021, there was investment of €1.2 million and 60% of an overflow pipe is in place. However, these habitats must be restored to favourable status.
I know the Taoiseach made this situation a priority for a whole-of-government approach and that the advice of the Attorney General is now being sought. We need a solution. It has to protect the habitats and the species of the SAC and the communities that live there. Together with councillors, TDs and Senators, we all want to see a solution. That solution must be delivered before winter. It must be delivered before October of this year.
First, I welcome the Minister of State here, thank him and tell him that I visited Lough Funshinagh in the beautiful County Roscommon and that unique and most beautiful and stunning SAC. I met many people in Coolnageer, Curraghboy, Knockcroghery, Ballagh and Rahara.
My first thought was I found people who were welcoming, engaging, resilient and positive. I spent much time with the Beattie family. I thank them, because I know they are tuned in to our proceedings today, for their hospitality and their tea and coffee and their chats. I also thank my colleague, Independent Councillor Laurence Fallon, who is their neighbour and has land of his own surrounded by water. Most important, I felt the resilience of the people and their determination. They are up for a fight if a fight is necessary, but I hope one will not be.
I also found people who were particularly grateful to the Minister of State and spoke very highly of him and, indeed, the Leader of the House, who, they told me, was with them a few days before I arrived. They spoke about how they had to be determined and resilient. They saw an end to this. They wanted to protect their beautiful SAC. They wanted to protect the land and the farm trade of their forebears. They were not people who just lived in a house. They were there to protect their livelihoods, their history, their lineage, their heritage and, above all, their farmstead where they yield their income. That was clearly a big issue.
I heard the stories of people who were forced to evacuate their homes. I heard of the 24-7 high alert that people are in and that they go to bed at night with someone always alert, but I also heard the gratefulness to the OPW for all the pumps. I could hear the pumps working and inspected all the pumps that are there. They praised the National Parks and Wildlife Service. They thanked the Office of Public Works. They thanked Deputy O'Donnell's Ministry and they thanked us for the engagement. Clearly, it is a high-risk danger zone for these people. They have had to evacuate their homes. The experience of having to abandon one's home at short notice hangs over them. They are in a living nightmare and that is something that no one should have to do. It is important that the Minister of State is here today. I know they are tuned in. We are expecting to hear from the Minister of State today and to listen to this report. I have no doubt they will see it. This is a major cause of disruption in their lives. There was clear evidence of the destruction of this beautiful natural habitat which everyone wants to save. There have to be win-wins all the way here. My thoughts are with the families.
The water levels on the lakes continue to rise. I thank Roscommon County Council but also its councillors, who kept this issue to the fore. There are farmlands now divided, not by ideology, history, economics or the environment but by sheer unmanaged water. We walked land that is stagnant, still, sluggish and lifeless. What a thing to have to say about beautiful land in this beautiful part of the world. It is clear there are issues.
I want to acknowledge the work of Deputy Fitzmaurice, who has called for emergency powers to be signed. I do not know the implications of emergency powers but I understand they would require the support of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. I want to acknowledge the important work of the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, and also Deputy Naughten, who made this issue a priority in his early discussions with the new Taoiseach, Deputy Simon Harris, and with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.
We need to find a solution and possibly an emergency order, as Deputy Fitzmaurice suggests. I wish to hear more about that from the Minister of State. We also need short-term, interim, medium-term and long-term solutions because we cannot drain lands at Lough Funshinagh only to have this doing potential damage elsewhere in County Roscommon. We have to follow the science and take professional advice. We cannot just be politically expedient and say the right thing in order to appease certain people during an electoral cycle, which we are now running into. The local and European elections will be held in a few weeks and a general election will be held a few months later. I talked previously in this House about the leverage of elections and how that facilitates democracy at work because people suddenly have to sit up and listen.
I will finish on this. I acknowledge the work of the Deputies. I acknowledge the work of Senators Dolan and Murphy, who represent the people of the area in the Seanad. I want to hear how we can work together for short-term and interim solutions and save people’s homes, livelihoods and health.
Senator Murphy is sharing time with Senator Chambers. Is that agreed? Agreed.
Senator Chambers has asked me to share one minute of my time and I have agreed to that.
It is always an honour to speak in this House but I do not know whether it is an honour today. As a person living in County Roscommon, I am deeply disturbed and hurt by this. I dedicate my few words today to all those families – the Martin, Beattie, Murray, Kearney, Staunton and Fallon families and others – who have been so badly disrupted by this. I have campaigned for many years on this issue. This is not just another flooding issue. This is a humanitarian crisis at this stage. I again send an open invitation to any of my colleagues, irrespective of what part of the country they come from, to visit this situation. I note Senator Boyhan was there at the weekend.
The objection to this work – let us call a spade a spade – was lodged by Mr. Tony Lowes of Friends of the Irish Environment of west Cork. He is not a Roscommon native, and has nothing to do with it. This objection has defeated any purpose of saving the environment. I come from a horticultural background. I told the committee eight or nine months ago that the flora and fauna are dead, the bird life is gone, the wildlife is gone and the tree and bush life are all dead. Stagnant water causes disease and destroys the environment. For the life of me, I cannot understand how people who call themselves environmentalists cannot see this situation. We now have the threat to Curraghboy village as well.
I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Kieran O’Donnell, because he has been excellent and understanding, and he has engaged well. However, as Senators Dolan and Boyhan said, we need emergency action. I note that the Tánaiste, the Minister of State and the Taoiseach are working with the Attorney General on that, which is something I have been involved in myself. We need to get this situation sorted.
Because I want to give way to Senator Chambers, I urge that we consider writing to the eminent judge Garrett Simons. I have read many of his judgments and he is a very good man. I believe he would have compassion. The reason I say we should write to him is previously he was the legal adviser to the Friends of the Irish Environment. I think he has a key role in this and we should write to him. I do not know whether that is in order but I feel that part of the Oireachtas can write to a judge and seek this, and seek his compassion in some way so that on a temporary basis we could lift this order to allow some water to be removed from the lake.
I thank my colleague Senator Murphy, who raised the issue Lough Funshinagh in the Chamber when I was taking Order of Business a number of weeks ago. I was struck by his impassioned plea to help people in the local community, so I visited the site two weeks ago.
Matthew Beatty and Geraldine Murray took me around. We visited four locations around the lake and the homeowners there. Nothing prepared me for what I saw when I visited the site. Senator Eugene Murphy had said to me that the videos and photographs do not do it justice and he was right. People are effectively living in a swamp. Green algae is growing on the road on the top of the water. The trees are dead. Farm buildings look like they are out at sea, with waves lapping up against them. People's homes and livelihoods are gone. Two elderly neighbours are cut off. They cannot actually see each other anymore because the road they used to travel to meet each other every day is now flooded and impassable. It felt wholly inadequate to be there that day and to tell people we are waiting for advice to the Government from the Attorney General, that there is a court process in place. That does not cut it. This needs to get sorted quickly. There has to be a sense of urgency about this. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, visited the area. The Tánaiste will be on site in the next couple of weeks. The political will has to be there. If environmental legislation is blocking this then the law is wrong. There has to be a humanitarian aspect to this. There has to be common sense in how we deal with these situations because when people look on from beyond Lough Funshinagh and other parts of the country and see environmental laws allowing us to leave people living in a situation where their homes are flooded and their farmland is lost, then we have lost the room on dealing with the climate issue. This is bigger than just Lough Funshinagh. This is how we ensure that we look after people, that we protect homes, businesses and communities as well as addressing climate. However, there has to be a common-sense approach. I urge the Minister of State, please get this sorted sooner rather than later and do not allow this to proceed at a snail's pace because the people cannot wait.
I welcome the Minister of State to the House today. I welcome the statements on the horrific flooding that happened in Lough Funshinagh. I am happy to be here today to speak on it in a formal sense. It is an opportunity to express our concern, sympathy and solidarity with the residents who had to evacuate their homes. The broader community is so worried about this. No doubt the Minister of State is aware of all this and I thank him for his work on it. The fact that people, including elderly people in their 80s, are displaced from their homes that represent their lives' work, is beyond upsetting. Their well-earned peace has been shattered by this absolute nightmare. It is so upsetting for all the residents. I thank God in times like this that we can see the best of what Ireland has to offer, by which I mean the kindness, support and community spirit that kicks in during times like these and makes it bearable. I am conscious of that, particularly with the councillors, the Deputies, the Minister of State and Senators who have all been involved in all of that. The generous donations to a fundraiser, particularly for a displaced family, are a good example of that.
I am glad the Government seems to understand the severity and urgency of the situation. The Government is exploring solutions but I want again to stress how dramatic it is for a person to have to leave his or her home. I hope that is taken into account by the Government. This issue needs to be addressed as quickly as possible and there needs to be clear and consistent communication with the local community. People are out of their minds with worry. Flooding is an issue that impacts communities throughout the country. We know that these issues will probably worsen over time. We need to make a real plan for the future to protect communities from flooding, that supports residents and the local environment. We cannot lurch from crisis to crisis, responding to issues as they arise. That is why I am here today. We need to have joined-up, long-term thinking to prevent people having to leave their homes in a crisis like this. The idea that was put forward by Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice for an emergency order to be signed is absolutely vital at this point. It will require the Tánaiste and the Taoiseach along with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to do that. It is something that should be considered today. My ask today, in particular, is that something can be done, going forward, for the people of County Roscommon.
I welcome the Minister of State and acknowledge his initiative in heading down to Lough Funshinagh at the earliest opportunity, to see for himself the issues at stake there.
I have not personally been down. I have seen the news footage and the social media commentary. It is very difficult and I acknowledge the work of all the local Senators and Deputies for the area, particularly Senator Dolan and Senator Murphy, who have raised the matter here on the floor of the Seanad on numerous occasions. I know Senator Dolan has raised this issue as well within the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, and I am sure Senator Murphy has as well in Fianna Fáil Party meetings. At the previous party meeting, I spoke in support of Senator Dolan in relation to that difficult situation of the law versus what one would assume to be common sense. Common sense is that, if water is rising and it is impacting on people, the water is pumped some place. That is the common sense. We have to get to common sense. We have to be able to say this is what is happening, this is the solution needed and we get that done.
I acknowledge the advocacy and all the work that is done by the Minister of State's Department and, indeed, Roscommon County Council and the work it did in 2021 on the underground overflow pipe that takes the excess water by gravity to the River Shannon. Unfortunately, as we have seen, there were judicial reviews of the work that was done. It is hard to fathom sometimes why these things happen. Who decides, despite the works that were being done and having clearance in terms of environmental reports and such, to take it upon himself or herself and decide this is worth pursuing throughout the courts by way of a judicial review to try to stop works that were designed and initiated to save people's properties, their mental health - or at least improve it - farmlands, SACs, habitats, trees, birds, hedges and whatever else is in the area?
Turloughs are beautiful. While I will not say they are unique to Ireland, they are very much associated with many parts of Ireland and with limestone karst land and so on. They are only beautiful if they work, that is, if they do what they say on the tin, they go away, give reprieve and there is valuable grazing land over the summer and autumn before they come back again. Almost magically or mysteriously, they come back but disappear again. Unfortunately, the water at Lough Funshinagh has not disappeared and, as I said, we have to get to a common-sense solution. The Minister of State said in his statement it is not possible to pump the water away from the area and that water must be pumped back in to the lake to keep it away from the properties. That is where there is a lack of common sense. I know the reasons the Minister of State is saying this, because of the judicial reviews and everything else, but if, in the wit of man and the European Union, we cannot come to a solution to mitigate the issues at Lough Funshinagh, then there is something wrong in the body politic, in the laws of the land and in European laws. I welcome the seeking of advice from the Attorney General. Whatever initiatives have to be taken and whatever needs to be done must be done. I feel for the people involved.
In my earlier days as a local councillor and even now from time to time, I deal with flooding issues. I remember flooding in a particular estate. I was living at home at the time upstairs and there was a skylight on the roof. Every time it rained, the rain battered against the skylight and I thought, God, was this estate going to flood, was there going to be more flooding and was I going to get a phone call, as I did at times at 3 o'clock in the morning in Dublin with flooding in Galway, although that was later on. These are the issues that you think about and you face. I cannot imagine what that is like, to look out every day, for years at this stage, to see the water rising, your lands unusable, your property under threat and your mental health impacted. I just feel for the people. I urge the Minister of State to do whatever he can do. I know he is doing so in relation to a common-sense solution to get this issue resolved.
At the outset I welcome the Minister of State, who is really on top of this issue and has moved quickly within days of his appointment. That is absolutely admirable and typical of him. I know he is genuinely empathetic and concerned about the people there and trying to resolve it. I appreciate that. Please God, knowing his form, he will ultimately succeed in resolving it. I again join my colleague, Senator Kyne, in congratulating Senator Dolan and Senator Murphy on their persistence in this matter. I concur that Senator Dolan raises this regularly in our parliamentary party meetings. I also acknowledge the contributions of our Independent colleagues, and Senator Boyhan's visit there.
I know a lot of people around this area. My mother-in-law was actually born there and her brother is one of the affected people, Edward John Beatty and his wife Theresa and the Beatty families, they are all related. Councillor Laurence Fallon and his lovely Cavan wife - he showed great judgment in that department - are particular friends of mine for a long time. I know that community well. It covers the townlands of Rahara, Ballagh, Lisfelim, Inchiroe - Senators Dolan and Murphy will correct my pronunciation - Gortree, Carrickbeg, Carrick, Kildurney, and Lysterfield. They are very beautiful names but that is not much good if you are living in a flooded location.
It seems that since 2016 the turlough, which traditionally would have dried up, is not draining as it did previously. The water levels are currently at their highest recorded level. They peaked at new recorded heights in 2022. I gather, as was cited by Senator Murphy, that there have been objections to the proposed solution of piping out the water. In fact, the irony, paradox or conundrum here is that the very objective of the objections is not served. The actual flooding has destroyed the wildlife, the fauna, the natural environment and biodiversity of the area. Contrary to achieving some sort of environmentally friendly objective, those seeking to prevent the draining will achieve the opposite. It is totally perverse that they are preventing the draining from being done even though it would benefit biodiversity, natural life and the beauty of the area. We are in that space but I urge the Minister and the Attorney General to see where we can go from here. The idea of taking the water underground to the Shannon is a reasonable temporary solution.
I should have mentioned when I was naming people who live in the locality that my wife's first cousin Mary Lyons and her husband Rory had to move to Athlone and leave the area. I see Senator Murphy nodding; he would have known them. They had to up and go to Athlone, which was dreadful. We are urging the Minister of State to go on doing what he is trying to do, namely to resolve the matter, talk with the Attorney General and look at the legalities around it. It is a pity the piping of the water underground to the Shannon is being prevented. One of the other paradoxes is that there are many areas in the country that in certain circumstances could do with this water. There is no logic in the position of halting it. I see how this is all very difficult for the Minister of State because the courts are an independent entity, as they should be. It is quite a conundrum, quite a circular situation if somebody goes to the courts to block it. One would have to appeal to the so-called environmentalists to desist or withdraw their objections. They have a weird concept of the environment if they allow one environment to be completely destroyed. I would not be optimistic but we can only hope they could be reasoned with as well.
It is a question of an engineering or legal solution or a combination of solutions. I do not know. I was down there recently and I met with Councillor Laurence Fallon and Bernie, his wife, who is from Crosskeys in Cavan. We sat and we discussed it. The water was coming up quite close to them even then and it may be worse now. It is a horrendous situation. I just want to lend my voice. It is a lovely part of Ireland and I know all the people there.
I appreciate and am very impressed by my constituency colleagues. The people there are well represented, given how the two people in front of me are taking this matter. The rest of us need not come in at all, but it is good to support them.
I too want to lend my support and I compliment my colleagues Senators Dolan and Murphy for bringing this to the fore, which they do on a regular basis. As secretary of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, I know that Senator Dolan brings the matter up weekly at our meetings and highlights it with the Taoiseach as an issue we need to get solved. Our role in politics is about helping people and making changes for the betterment of people's lives. Sometimes common sense goes out the window when we cannot do something that ultimately is for the betterment of people's lives, their livelihood and their family homes. I see the TV coverage of the rising water and people pumping water to try to save their family homes and livelihood. We have a solution but we cannot implement it because of High Court rulings. This is where common sense sometimes goes out the window. We all want to support initiatives to look after biodiversity and so on but we need to put a priority on people's homes and their livelihoods. Whatever legal mechanism needs to be in place should be implemented.
Senator Kyne referred to the Attorney General's advice being sought. I welcome this. I sincerely hope that a form of words can be put in place that will actually allow the work to take place. I am aware that Roscommon County Council wants to proceed, and had commenced, with works that would alleviate this issue. I just want to lend my support to my neighbours. Hopefully common sense will prevail and we will not see the families who are living in this area spending another winter of sleepless nights watching water levels and wondering whether their homes will flood, when we can actually do something about it. It is complete madness but I know there are constraints put in place by the courts. We must find whatever mechanism we can, through whatever avenue we can, to rectify it.
As there are no further contributors indicating, I invite the Minister of State to reply.
I acknowledge the eight contributors: Senators Dolan, Murphy, Boyhan, Chambers, Black, Kyne, Joe O'Reilly and Carrigy. The comments were very constructive.
For me, this is about two aspects. It is about the people of Lough Funshinagh primarily and it is about the SAC of Lough Funshinagh. On a human level it is predicted that the water levels will be higher next winter than now. In practical terms that means we must put measures in place between now and then to bring down the water levels on Lough Funshinagh. It is as simple as that. That will give two benefits. It will protect the SAC and the homes and it will lessen the misery that people, including the farming community, are suffering. When I was appointed as Minister of State I wanted to see at first hand what was happening there. Senator Dolan had said it to me previously when I was a Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I decided to go to Lough Funshinagh and to go with a whole-of-government approach, with officials from the Office of Public Works, to meet Roscommon County Council, and to have the National Parks and Wildlife Service there as well, all on the ground.
That was to enable us to carry out an assessment, from my perspective, in order to see what was there. The more particular reason was to be able to meet the people affected. The one thing that came across when I went around meeting people, and many of them - including the likes of the Beatties, the Kearneys, the Fallons and Ellie McLaughlin, were name-checked by Senator Dolan - was the connection these families have with Lough Funshinagh and the biodiversity there. Senator Dolan referred to these people as custodians. They see themselves in this role. My role is Minister of State with special responsibility for the OPW, and the Government and I want to respect their role.
What has happened in the short time since that visit is that we have had a whole-of-government approach to work on this issue. That approach involves the OPW, Roscommon County Council, which leads the steering group - and I acknowledge the work it is doing - and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. We have also sought expert legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General. We had a meeting with the Attorney General and all the stakeholders I mentioned last Friday. We are working on this issue and intensive engagement will continue.
The most important thing for me is to seek to ensure we protect the SAC and people's homes and farms. In many cases, farm sheds were underwater in the places we visited. This aspect is greatly important. In this context, the message is that we are continuing to work at pace to look for a solution or solutions that will enable us to get works done over the summer. We want to ensure this can happen. Senator Boyhan referred to not rushing in this regard. From my perspective, we want to be certain about what we are doing. We have spoken to representatives of Roscommon County Council and we want to ensure that what we put in is robust.
We know the patience of the people living near Lough Funshinagh has been tested. I know how devastating the impact of flooding is for people. It has never happened to me personally, but it has been a feature of my political life in the area I represent in County Limerick. I know the devastation caused by being flooded. Possessions that people might have had for decades are suddenly gone or can only be seen floating in the flood waters. I mentioned Ellie McLaughlin earlier. She has young children and has gone through a lot. I met Brian Fallon, who lives a hundred yards up the road. These people have lived there all their lives.
Brian Fallon is 80 years old.
Yes. I am aware of what has happened to these people. Ultimately, however, it comes down to finding solutions we can implement. It is about ensuring that what we do does not put this longer term goal at risk. I understand people's frustrations, but I ask them to stick with us so we can work on this problem by adopting a whole-of-government approach involving the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, me in the OPW, our officials, who are working night and day, and staff from the NPWS and Roscommon County Council. No stone is being left unturned. We must do this work, though, in a way that is systematic and that gets us a result for the people living in the area around Lough Funshinagh. This is the commitment I give here. It comes down to looking at this issue in a very structured way and we are doing this.
I keep coming back to this point. The people there have dealt with this flooding for many years. It has been utterly acute this year. Looking at the long-range forecasts, even higher levels of flooding are predicted for next year. We must get a result to address this issue and we are working on it. I thank the people living around Lough Funshinagh. I also thank the public representatives from the area, including Senators Dolan and Murphy.
My real abiding objective is to bring the farming community and wider community at Lough Funshinagh news of a solution that can be taken as soon as possible. That is my commitment. It is what I said I was the day I visited Lough Funshinagh and it has not changed. We are working on that intensively with all stakeholders, including the Attorney General's office.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 4.10 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 4.46 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 4.10 p.m. and resumed at 4.46 p.m.