We need to dredge the Shannon if we are to curb this kind of flooding

Six years after the catastrophic River Shannon floods of 2009, we are facing the same type of destruction and disaster.

At the time of writing, the levels in Leitrim are perilously close to the high water mark of 2009. On that occasion, our County town of Carrick-on-Shannon and villages, like Dromod, resembled Venice.

Our peace of mind was shattered, houses were flooded and destroyed and much property was greatly devalued.

We expected that the government(s) would have realised the gravity of that disaster and have made it such a priority that enough work would have been done to ensure that it would never recur.

Bigger fools we.

This is not rocket science. The Shannon has a relatively small fall in its middle course, from Lough Allen to Lough Derg. Great banks of mud and bog silt are known to have built up in this middle course.

Last week, Hurricane Desmond deposited a large amount of rain across Ireland.

When this rainwater started to flow down the Shannon, it was held back by the mud banks and bog silt deposits and could not get away quickly enough - hence the massive floods.

All important rivers in Europe are kept clear by continuous dredging. The Shannon is our greatest river. It should be a great source of pleasure and enjoyment - not like a “mill stone” around us. Let the Shannon water flow quickly down the dredged channel and, with a forecast of much wetter winters ahead, let us forget about keeping an enormous reservoir of water locked up in Lough Allen.

In this way, the rainwater from the next big hurricane can be handled with confidence and with much less expense to our country and to our defenceless riparian dwellers.

Cllr Des Guckian

Dromod

Co Leitrim