Drains must be cleared before high tides, says senator

THE drainage system in the capital must be cleared immediately to avoid floods as the highest tides in two decades approach, a senator warned yesterday.

Cyprian Brady called on Dublin City Council to ensure all precautionary measures are undertaken to avoid floods during the expected high tides on September 10.

“While there has been major investment in our flood defences in recent years, many drains are blocked and this will heighten the flood risk when some of the highest tides in two decades are expected in the city in less than two weeks,” Mr Brady said.

“The Dublin Metropolitan Emergency Planning Group is keeping the situation under review, however, in the short space of time we have left it is important that the drainage system of the city is checked. Such an examination should take place before winter arrives.”

The Fianna Fáil senator said it was important residents were kept informed of the risks of flooding.

He said: “It is feared the flooding will occur if the high tides coincide with heavy rain.”

Mr Brady said sandbags should be made available in the flood prone areas, especially along the Liffey River, the Dodder and Tolka, if there is bad weather forecast during the period.

“While the power of nature is impossible to control, if we make the proper preparations now then we can reduce the risk to homes in the coming days,” he said.

The Irish Marine Institute warned that Ireland will see unusually high tidal ranges which will peak in Dublin around September 10 and October 9 next.

In Dublin on September 10, a high tide level of 4.5 metres or 14.6 feet is predicted around 12.30am.

The institute said any flooding problems will be due to bad weather, or a storm surge, coinciding with the high tides.

Twice a year, at the spring and autumn equinoxes, the highest spring tides occur due to the alignment of the earth with the sun.

But tides also follow an 18.6 year “nodal cycle” relating to the tilt of the moon and its orbit around the earth. This allows for an extremely high spring tide during this cycle.

When both occur at the same time it can result in particularly high waters, and especially low and high tides can be expected at all locations around the coast.

The institute is working with a number of partners to install a permanent network of tide gauges with monitoring stations in Killybegs, Dublin Port, Rosslare, Castletownbere, Galway Harbour and the Kish Bank Lighthouse.