Measures needed to eliminate flooding in Dublin and surrounding counties may take "hundreds of millions of euro" to implement, according to Dublin City Council.
The city engineer, Mr Michael Phillips, yesterday confirmed a review of drainage systems in Dublin and surrounding counties was under way to help prevent the type of severe flooding seen in some parts of Dublin this week.
Flood waters in eastern areas subsided yesterday, but the clean-up in Dublin was hampered by rain. Flooding also continued to cause havoc in many parts of Meath, Kildare, Louth and Wicklow.
Drumcondra and the North Strand, both on Dublin's northside, were worst affected in the capital. Many homeowners whose properties were badly damaged were not insured against damage because of previous flooding.
The Government, however, has promised compensation will be made available to the victims.
Development on lands which previously acted as flood plains has exacerbated flooding in Dublin and adjoining counties, it has been claimed.
Green Party environment spokesman Mr Ciaran Cuffe called for an investigation into how certain developments in the eastern region were allowed to proceed against the advice of engineers in areas prone to flooding.
He said resources needed to be set aside to compensate people affected by bad planning decisions.
Mr Kevin Gilna, of the Construction Industry Federation, said developers only build properties where planning permission had been granted. However, he agreed local authorities needed to draw up plans of flood plains in their catchment areas to prevent those lands being developed.
The Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) is seeking a meeting with Minister of State Mr Tom Parlon, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works, to discuss the establishment of a special National Flood Defence Agency.
The IIF said the new agency would assume overall responsibility for flood management which currently falls under the remit of the Office of Public Works, Waterways Ireland and local authorities.
"A national agency could spearhead a review of river and coastal flood defences in order to invest in practical improvements in flood blackspots," said IIF spokesman Mr Martin Long.
He added that in each of the last five years, Ireland has had to deal with the impact of at least one "extraordinary bad weather event". This underlined the need for the new agency and for designated, development-free flood lands.
Ms Karin Dubsky, of the environmental group Coastwatch Europe, said the 1948 Land Reclamation Act, reinforced in the 2000 Planning Act, had allowed the destruction of wetlands along many rivers. "These are most valuable for their capacity to retain flood waters,What are we doing to them? We in-fill."
The Dublin City Council review, which is costing €7 million, is looking also at drainage systems in Meath, Kildare and north Wicklow. The study, due to be completed next year, is looking at practical ways to prevent flooding and is examining the way development on flood plains and in other areas has impacted on drainage systems.
Mr Parlon said last night the OPW and local authorities would assess flood damage in coming days. He said compensation would be made available to some victims, with the Irish Red Cross Society to administer the aid.
Last night many roads in north Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Louth were still impassable.
