Storm Chandra: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-10
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Malcolm Noonan (GP), Agricultural Panel

Yes. Like others, I want to commend the emergency services and local authorities in Kilkenny County Council, as well as other local authorities, on their response in support of communities during Storm Chandra.
Prior to the Kilkenny scheme, I had family members who were caught in the flooding cycle there. Local knowledge was hugely important then. Bernadette Kiely, an artist who is based in Thomastown, spoke about that local knowledge when the floods were coming in there. We certainly knew when the floods were coming up. We were ready to put the couches and the sofas up and wait for the floodwaters to go out. It is no longer acceptable for communities to have to put up with this. Unfortunately, the frequency of these events is making the chance of it all the more prevalent.
The one thing I want to speak about in the few minutes I have relates to the use of nature-based solutions. I was a member of the local authority when we were considering the Thomastown and Graiguenamanagh schemes. At that time, I mentioned the idea of using and working with nature, because nature is our first and best line of defence against climate chaos. There are projects right across the UK, such as in Pickering in Yorkshire, that we can consider. Here in Ireland, the Inishowen Rivers Trust is using what they call "leaky dams". In Gissing in Norfolk, they are actively using and working with nature to attenuate the water and slow the flow for a period. Similar projects could be up and running while we are waiting for these schemes to be deployed. Not every community is going to be able to get the hard engineering OPW solutions. It is critically important that the Government looks at this. As we look towards the nature restoration plan and the land use review - I am not sure where that is - we should incorporate works under the nature restoration plan in with the next CAP strategic plan so that we have flood defences working with nature. We could also look at the planning code, through the Planning and Development Act, to adopt nature-based solutions in our urban areas, to install permeable paving in our car parks and to put in rain gardens. All of these proven measures could be deployed now while we are waiting for schemes to be implemented.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-10