Road closure due to rising water levels leaves County Roscommon community ‘devastated’ as some residents have to vacate their homes
Rising water levels at Lough Funshinagh have forced Roscommon County Council to close a load road while it carries out works.
Some residents in a County Roscommon community will have to vacate their homes over the next few days as rising water levels at a lake have forced Roscommon County Council to close a load road while it carries out works.
In a statement on Friday evening Roscommon County Council said that it had “made the decision to close the local road L-2005 at Ballagh, County Roscommon, effective from 11 a.m. on Monday, February 19th. This closure is necessary to facilitate the deployment of additional temporary flood protection measures along this road, aimed at safeguarding adjacent properties from rising water levels at Lough Funshinagh.”
Reacting to the news, the Lough Funshinagh crisis group said that “for the second time in three years, residents have been asked to pack up their belongings and leave their homes, amongst them, elderly people who cannot take much more. ‘Emergency accommodation’ has been offered to them similar to our visiting migrants and miles and miles away from their community. When is this major issue going to be dealt with? When is this madness going to stop?
“And when can these elderly families be left alone to live their final years in peace. It is truly devastating,” said the Lough Funshinagh crisis group.
Meanwhile, locals and politicians met with EU officials about the Lough Funshinagh issue last week.
On Monday, February 12th, members of the Lough Funshinagh Flood Crisis Committee, as well as Cllr Laurence Fallon, Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane, and MEP Chris MacManus met online with the EU Commission Director for Biodiversity and EU officials.
Deputy Kerrane said that she was pleased that the committee were happy with the outcome of the meeting.
Independent Councillor Laurence Fallon said that it was a positive meeting. “The officials from the EU were anxious to learn about it. They took the lough’s designation as a special area of conservation (SAC) very seriously. They were at pains to point out it has never been the desire of the commission to see anything put in place that would cause the deterioration of a SAC,” he said.
