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Residents angered by sewage overflow

Thursday, 28 August 2008

RESIDENTS on a Donaghmede road have expressed anger with their local authority after a sewer overflowed during the floods.
The residents claimed that the health of their children was put at risk when the sewer overflowed at Grange Abbey Drive, leaving the area covered in raw human waste.
Dublin City Council said it is looking at a number of issues in the aftermath of the extreme weather, including problems at Grange Abbey Drive.
Local resident Tommy Judge has expressed concerns that the sewage, which is close to a nearby children’s playground, could be hazardous for local children.
“This drain is an ongoing problem for people living in this area,” said Mr Judge.
“Anytime there is heavy rain, it overflows into the street covering the area in raw sewage which sits there in a big pool.
“Already the dried in mess has been sitting there for a week.
“The council has promised to clean it up but the problem is that we know it will happen again.
“The smell here really is terrible and it’s attracting flies. I see kids walking through here every day who don’t know better.”

According to Mr Judge, people are walking to work from nearby estates and going straight through the dried up sewage.
“They are not realising what they are bringing into their home on their shoes and that they are putting themselves at serious risk,” he stated.
“Now I get worried every time my two kids, aged seven and 12, are out playing near the house.”
Mr Judge said that cleaning up the shore is not enough and has called for measures to be put in place to ensure this type of incident doesn’t occur again.
“I appreciate that the city council will send people around to clean up the terrible mess that was left in our estate,” he added.
“I want the shore fixed to make sure it doesn’t leak sewage into the estate ever again.
“I also want the recent drainage issues looked into and resolved; it’s a combination of things that are affecting us here.”
A spokesman for Dublin City Council said: “We are currently looking in considerable detail at all the incidents that were highlighted and we want to make a comprehensive assessment first to determine the full picture.
“Incidents such as that mentioned at Grange Abbey will form an integral part of this assessment.
“If there is a particular issue which arises as a result of this assessment concerning any specific area, then the city council will look at how best to mitigate for flooding risk in that area into the future.”
The spokesman pointed out that the flooding was a completely unpredicted weather phenomenon that affected not only Dublin City and the Greater Dublin Area.
“In the aftermath, there is a recognition by all the response agencies that extreme, unprecedented weather events like this will be factored into our crisis management planning in the future,” he added.
Meanwhile, Donaghmede ward councillor Killian Forde (SF) has called for proper integration of sewage and drainage systems between older and newer developments, with upgrades carried out where needed.
"This incident highlights the need to ensure that the drainage and sewage system can take the strain of extensive recent developments, as well as the danger of flooding,” Cllr Forde told Northside People.
“In the new estates in Clongriffin and the rest of the North Fringe, the drainage system worked well during recent floods.
“However, there is concern that the older estates, such as Grange Abbey, may need attention."

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