FLOOD PREVENTION:THE DESIGN of flood relief schemes will take account of climate change patterns, the Office of Public Works (OPW) said yesterday as the clean up after this week's floods continued.
While design standards and the implementation of drainage systems are a matter for the Department of the Environment, the OPW said it was pressing ahead with a range of non-structural measures such as flood hazard mapping and planning and development guidelines.
Amid forecasts that there will be poor weather this afternoon with the prospect of flooding at the weekend, Dublin City Council workers have been accused of only assisting council tenants and ignoring others.
In rural areas, the weather has led to the cancellation of eight agricultural shows, and farmers are having harvest difficulties particularly in north Co Dublin, the Midlands and Munster.
According to Met Éireann, today will begin mostly dry but showers will arrive from the west before noon and turn widespread as the day goes on. Heavy rain is expected in the south and west during the late evening and night and highest temperatures will be 15 to 18 degrees. Rainfall tonight and Saturday may reach 20mm to 30mm with a high risk of flooding.
The outlook is unsettled but heavy and sometimes thundery rainfall is expected to dominate during Saturday. Sunday is expected to be brighter.
Dublin City Council said it was still awaiting a final assessment of the damage. Some residents in north Dublin claimed council staff had aided council tenants while ignoring the plight of neighbours who had or were buying their homes. The council declined to comment, other than to say it was awaiting reports from the National Roads Authority and the OPW.
Saturday's Swinford Agricultural Show in Co Mayo has become the latest victim of the weather which led to the cancellation of Ireland's largest agricultural show on Sunday last in Tullamore. The Irish Shows Association, the representative body for agricultural shows in Ireland, said so far this year eight shows had been cancelled.
"It is not quite as bad as last year when we lost 16, but we have a major programme to run for the rest of the season and we expect to lose more," said Michael Hughes, national secretary. "The number of cancellations has been unprecedented over the past two years. It is creating major difficulties for all involved," he said
He confirmed the Roscommon show would go ahead on Saturday at Lisbride House, but was concerned about a number of events due to be staged next week.
The 36-member executive of the Tullamore show has decided on principle to stage the event again next year. It was cancelled for the past two years. Christy Maye, a representative for the show, said a review involving all aspects of staging the event would be held. "There is also the whole question of the debts we face and we will not know how heavy they are for some time yet," he said.
Meanwhile, the harvesting of second-cut silage and rape and vegetable crops, especially in north Co Dublin, have been badly hit by the poor weather. Farmers in Munster and the Midlands have suffered most on the silage harvest, and there are concerns for the main grain harvest which is due to begin in a week.