Ireland’s flood defences are “inadequate” and the State is poorly equipped to deal with extreme weather, the industry body for Ireland’s engineers has said.
Just weeks after Storm Éowyn caused widespread damage and flooding, a report from Engineers Ireland’s shows four out of 10 of its members believe the State’s flood defences are poor, while another 42 per cent dub them “inadequate”.
Fewer than one in five say they are good or excellent, said the report, Engineering 2025.
It comes as 72 per cent of Irish people surveyed see the threat of flooding growing. Seven out of 10 worry that man-made climate change poses a threat to Ireland.
Climate change will boost the number and severity of floods, said the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Last year that organisation ranked Dublin 23rd of 36 cities around the world most at risk from flooding and rising sea levels.
[ Irish insurance companies raise concerns over effects of climate changeOpens in new window ]
Damien Owens, director general of Engineers Ireland, said the Irish public and his profession feared flood risks and worried about the State’s ability to deal with it in a more unpredictable climate.
“Seventy-four per cent of Irish adults say that Ireland should devote more resources to adapting to the effects of climate change, showing an eagerness for Government to do more to ready Ireland for the impacts of global warming,” he said.
Floods have repeatedly devastated parts of the midlands and west over recent winters, prompting calls from politicians and community groups for better defences.
Storm Éowyn did a record €300 million worth of damage in just a few hours in late January, hitting homes and electricity supplies.
The Engineers Ireland report shows that 30 per cent of the profession’s members believe the State’s infrastructure is poor or inadequate overall, with 94 per cent ranking the State’s performance on housing as inadequate, poor or mediocre.
Similarly, almost eight out of 10 say transport infrastructure falls under one of those three headings, while 65 per cent of engineers use them to describe the Republic’s energy system.
Only communications' earns a positive review from the profession, with two-thirds of its members classing this as good.
The report includes results from a poll of 1,000 adults by market research company, Ipsos B&A, that cover views on infrastructure and engineers. It indicates that most people in the Republic believe that the profession will play a key role in efforts to combat climate change.
[ Is there any issue with driving an electric car through a flood?Opens in new window ]
However, engineering firms’ confidence about their business is falling, said Mr Owens.
“While engineering is a resilient industry and firms here remain confident of growth in 2025, it is likely that global political volatility and speculation about increased barriers to trade have dented the sector’s optimism,” he said.
He argues that the industry is attractive, as most firms are hiring and there is a shortage of engineers.
