Flooding in the area has had an adverse impact on farmers, impacting on both land and livestock. 

Local councillor Bernice Swift said DFI Rivers and Road officials recently attended a critical meeting with representative farmers of the Boho and lower area of Derrygonnelly. 

Cllr Swift noted that flooding problems in the area “are having an adverse and oppressive impact on farmers land, livestock and their financial situation” and she said solutions had been sought from Government Department.

Continuing Cllr Swift said, “At the beginning of the socially distanced meeting in one of the flooding hot-spots, I provided background to previous submissions made to Drainage NI in 2007 on an engineering solution to re-route Sillies River to resolve the excess flooding problem, but at the time the then Agricultural Minister did not approve the proposal instead, much road-raising solutions did prevail however, 13 years later with effects of climate change farmers are noticing the need for greater, more frequent solutions along investment, they no longer want to be ignored.” 

Boho Farmer, John Jones questioned, “Is the current situation fit-for-purpose and if not, it needs to be changed as hundreds of acres of land are underwater in Boho and this is from the summer flood meaning there’s an adverse, knock-on-impact to winter fodder preventing grass-cutting for winter livestock.”