Cork County Council asked to manage waterways

Cork County Council is to be asked to create a special works programme for cleaning waterways in areas prone to flooding, especially in places where an ever increasing number of householders can no longer get flood insurance cover.

The motion is set to come before a full council meeting shortly after it was agreed by councillors representing the Cobh/Glanmire municipal district council who also expressed concern about the actions of the insurance industry.

Cllr Anthony Barry, who is chairman of the municipal district council, said in an estate in his hometown of Carrigtwohill just a small number of houses were prone to flooding, but the vast majority of the 450 householders there were being refused cover.

He said this situation was being replicated in other areas of the county including nearby Glanmire.

Cllr Barry said he lives on very elevated ground and if he was to get flooded it would require a “Noah’s Ark-type event”.

On this basis, he approached his insurance company with a view to removing the flood cover to get a cheaper quote. He said he was told that he could not do this because monies collected from flood insurance went to those who got flooded. However, Cllr Barry claimed the insurance industry was trying to ensure it did not cover anybody at risk.

He said that the county council should put in place a special maintenance programme for watercourses to ensure they were cleared of any debris so that during in periods of heavy rain they run freely.

Council engineer said they already carried out some cleaning at known hotspots along the River Glashaboy in the Glanmire area and also on the Woodstock stream in Carrigtwohill and said that if local councillors knew of other areas that needed attention they would address them.