Part of the Erne channel between Belleek and Ballyshannon urgently needs attention to avoid a repeat of the flooding this winter, according to one landowner.
Clive Weir, a farmer from Tamlaght, who farms close to Upper Lough Erne, says now that the flood waters are receding, the issue should not be forgotten about.
The flooding issue is still high on the agenda for the Ulster Farmers’ Union in Fermanagh, who are convening a meeting in the Killyhevlin Hotel next Monday, March 7 at 2.30pm to learn more from those directly affected during December and January. Earlier on Monday, a delegation from the Fermanagh County Committee will be visiting the ESB at Ballyshannon to hear their views on dealing with the high water levels on the Erne system. Among those going will be County Chairman, David Brown and the UFU’s Deputy President, Barclay Bell, who visited farmers in the Lisnaskea area during the worst of the floods.
Meanwhile Mr. Weir, writing to The Impartial Reporter this week said: “The provision of £625,000 to address problems posed by heavy rainfall and the slow transit of water from the Erne system is welcome but I wonder whether raising road levels is the answer. It is important to remember that flooded roads are closed for people’s safety and not for the protection of their vehicles. So any road raised should have crash barriers,” he said.
He believes the main problem is the slow passage of water from Lough Erne through to Ballyshannon and in particular, the Belleek channel.
“The waterway from Roscor Bridge to Belleek seems fine, but from Belleek Pottery down to the Cliff power station there is clearly an impediment posed by high bedrock particularly opposite the Carlton Hotel.
“It is essential that this area which continues around the back of the police station and down past the old bridge that carried the railway line is deepened to speed up the volume of water leaving the Erne. This should not be a major engineering feat. A barrier similar to the one at Portora should be erected to maintain water levels in the summer,” he suggested.
Mr. Weir has called on the First Minister, Arlene Foster, to raise the matter at the next North South ministerial conference and the fact that the area between Belleek and Cliff was a cross border area should help it attract relevant funding.
“Perhaps in the meantime a cross party delegation of Fermanagh councillors might visit this area,” he suggested.
He added: “Flooding will always occur but the citizens of Fermanagh should not have to endure it for weeks on end. By removing obstacles the flow would increase not only letting the Erne empty faster but also rivers like the Colebrooke and Sillees. As a farmer I know that to solve a problem with a blocked drain or gutter it is better to start at the front of the problem, not behind it.”