Fear of sewage in Bantry flood waters

A RESIDENT in Bantry has expressed concern about the sewage content of flood waters in the town.

The man whose car was flooded for the second time in nine weeks said he could tell that the water in his vehicle was unsavoury and dirty.

He said he will have to have it professionally cleaned, but, in the meantime, believes it raises some serious questions about the health implications of flood events.

‘It’s clear now that coastal areas are going to be prone to flooding on an ongoing basis, and the only way to prevent that is to actually provide flood defence systems.’ The man, who has been living in Bantry for a number of years,  but didn’t wish to be named, said he could not understand why such a persistent problem was not addressed in a practical way years ago.

He said he has spoken to local authority officials and local public representatives and the standard reply was: ‘It’s a natural event.’

The resident said: ‘This does nothing to address the problem. I understand they are trying, but it sounds like there are too many bureaucratic hurdles and, in the meantime, it is the people of Bantry who are suffering.

‘There has to be momentum from the stakeholders if floods are to be prevented from entering the town, damaging businesses and properties, and causing hardship to so many.’

With climate change causing more frequent floods, he said, the situation is only going to get worse and Bantry could figuratively ‘sink under the floods so the quicker they act the better.’As for the sewage problem, the man said: ‘The solution to pollution is dilution, but it needs to be processed first, and it was clear to me that there was some untreated waste going into the bay, which causes the flood water to be dirty.’