Sinn Féin are seeking to establish a single agency for the management of the river Shannon to prevent the possibility of further flooding.
The River Shannon Management Agency Bill has been introduced by the Dáil, seeking to put such an agency on a statutory footing to allow for proper maintenance of the river.
Flooding has become a persistent winter problem along many parts of the river, flooding many acres of land and forcing road closures in north Tipperary earlier this year alone.
Sinn Féin deputy Sorca Clarke has been outlining the current issues with river Shannon management:
“Currently there are twenty agencies – from the ESB to Waterways Ireland to local authorities – involved in water management and maintenance of the River Shannon.
“Data shows there has been an increase in the pattern of flooding over the past sixty years and categorical evidence that the floods themselves are getting bigger.
“These floods are devastating to homes, farm lands and businesses and erode the quality of life of rural Ireland and jeopardise its existence.”
