Concern is growing among householders living in low-lying areas about the risk of extensive flooding, with water levels along the river Shannon expected to rise by 20cm and an extended spell of bad weather forecast.
Homes in several parts of Westmeath, Offaly and Roscommon in the catchment area of the river have already been flooded while areas further downstream are also preparing for it to overflow.
Met Éireann has forecast wintry showers for Wednesday and Thursday but heavy and persistent rain is expected across the State on Friday.
Several roads were impassable on Tuesday due to heavy flooding, including the N65 between Portumna and Borrisokane, as were many local roads on the Roscommon side of Athlone. The Quay Wall in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim was fully breached on Tuesday night.
Irish Rail has cancelled services on part of the Limerick-Galway line for the immediate future due to flooding on the track at Kiltartan, Co Galway. The company is advising passengers on the route that bus transfers are operating between Ennis and Gort and Athenry and Gort.
Based on past experience and rising water levels, Irish Rail said it believed the line was likely to remain partly closed for a number of days.
Westmeath County Council said water levels on the river Shannon in the Athlone area were continuing to rise slowly and had increased by 5cm in the early hours of Tuesday. It said forecasts provided by the ESB, which monitors water levels on the Shannon, indicated they could rise until Friday and this could see the level go up by a further 20cm.
Flood emergency
In response to the heightened risk of flooding in Athlone, the council activated its flood emergency response plan on Tuesday. This will see stakeholders including the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, Irish Water, the Health Service Executive and Civil Defence, taking measures to protect public infrastructure and to assist householders in protecting homes and businesses.
The council said a combination of permanent and temporary defences in Athlone was proving effective in preventing significant flooding. However, it acknowledged that flooding in rural areas along the banks of the Shannon was causing major problems for farmers and local residents.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald visited Athlone on Tuesday and met residents affected by the flooding. She called for a single statutory body to be made responsible for managing the river Shannon rather than a combination of Waterways Ireland, the ESB and various local authorities.
“I know that there is considerable frustration and considerable anger that there is almost a cycle; we return every number of years to this situation where people’s homes, farms and lands are flooded, where roads are impassable,” she said.
“The big difficulty is that the Shannon is not being managed and it seems to local people there is a lack of political will and lack of seriousness in terms of not just providing flood defences but also flood warnings, and having a coherent management plan and structure in a single statutory body to actually manage the Shannon.”
In Co Clare, water levels in the Clonlara area are continuing to rise.
Limerick City and County Council said its staff were monitoring water levels on the Shannon around the clock and the threat of flooding remained.
A council spokesman said lands in Montpelier, Castleconnell, Annacotty and Mountshannon were already under water with higher water levels predicted over the coming days.
Pumps and sandbags have been deployed in affected areas by the Defence Forces, while a cycle path from Corbally through to the Guinness Bridge and on to the University of Limerick has been closed until further notice. - Additional reporting PA