Sinn Fein Foyle MLA Padraig Delargy
He was speaking after the Minister for Infrastructure confirmed that two Drainage Area Plans for the Foyle Road are not due to be completed until late autumn 2022 and summer 2023.
Said the Foyle MLA: “The flooding in the Foyle Road area has been going on for years.
“My party colleague, Cllr Patricia Logue has been campaigning for remedial works so that residents do not have to live in fear of their homes being flooded with sandbags at the ready in their gardens.
“There is also the impact on house insurance and the disruption it causes as this is a main arterial transport route into our city centre.
“I find the situation at Foyle Road intolerable, and residents have rightly been asking questions about what is getting done about it.
“I wrote to the Minister for Infrastructure seeking answers as to what measures her department is taking to resolve the problems there.
“I am concerned that the Minister has said that the two Drainage Area Plans underway for the Foyle Road area will not be completed by late autumn 2022 and the other by summer 2023.
“She also revealed that she has asked her officials to introduce a ‘Living with Water’ scheme here which looks at drainage and wastewater management with greener integrated solutions implemented alongside hard engineering infrastructure such as bigger pipes and flood defences.
“But there is no definite timeframe given for this to happen.
“Whilst I welcome that several measures are at least underway at Foyle Road, I believe there needs to be greater urgency to resolve the flooding problems there.
“This cannot go on indefinitely,” added the Derry MLA.
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