Lorries took it slow as they passed through the floods between Lisnaskea and Derrylin earlier this year RMG14
WELL over half-a-million pounds is to be spent on flood relief works in Fermanagh in a bid to prevent future disruption and hardship, however not everyone is happy with the plan.
Last week Transport Minister Michelle McIlveen announced a £1.3 million fund for flood prevention and alleviation works across the North, with £625,000 of the fund being spent in Fermanagh.
Included in the works programme are the Derrylin to Lisnaskea Road, the Wattlebridge Road, and the Inishmore Road, which will all be raised. Work on the roads will begin in April, with the Inishmore Road works to be carried out in three sections.
In Boho, the Lisdead and Sansanagh Roads will also be raised, however as land needs to be purchased to carry out the improvements, work will not begin until later in the year.
Sean Lynch MLA welcomed last week’s announcement and explained the chosen roads were in areas worst hitting by this winter’s flooding, where key routes were impassible for several weeks and “where flooding cut communities off from schools, churches, and each other.”
He added: “Other local improvements will be made around the county to reduce the impact of flooding and to ensure that roads are passable in the event of future flooding. The measures will also include new pumping stations, which will be put in place as a result of this funding.”
Cllr Richie McPhillips also welcomed the announcement but questioned why several key roads in desperate need of attention around the county “have not been mentioned.” He added the Derrylin Road and Wattlebridge Roads had previously been raised back in 2009, to little or even detrimental effect.
“All raising the roads seem to do was push water down from one townland to another,” he said. “The people in Derryelvin, where families were cut off by the floods, maintain that was because of the raising of the road.
“There needs to be a major action in terms of the management of the Erne waterway systems. Raising these roads is putting the horse before the cart, what we need is a major study on how the entire waterway.”
Pascal Brissand, who runs the Watermill Lodge in Lisnaskea which had to close for over a month as it was inaccessible due to flooding, also doubted the effectiveness of raising the roads.
“I think they should to try to learn how to manage the waterways and work with nature,” he said. “They should learn how to live with water the way the Dutch people have.”
Mr Brissand said the Watermill, which was closed for almost five weeks, had lost out on £70,000 in revenue which would not be covered by their insurance. He said the business had also lost staff, and he was now struggling to get through the year ahead.
Mr Lynch MLA said the £625,000 ring-fenced would “only go so far” and said the engineers were “looking at a more sustainable solution that will be more long-lasting” to raising the roads.
He added, due to climate change, “a much more holistic approach is needed over the next 10 to 30 years in managing surface water.”
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