SOUTH Belfast Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw has raised the impact of out-of-sewer flooding on residents in the Sicily Park and Marguerite Park area in the Assembly.
The area has been plagued with flooding issues in recent years.
Work on a major flooding project commenced within the grounds of Musgrave Park in April.
Over the next two years, £8 million is being invested to increase the capacity of the existing network, substantially reducing the risk of out-of-sewer flooding and environmental pollution within the Marguerite Park area in the future, and paving the way for future works within the Sicily Park area.
This week, Ms Bradshaw also highlighted the need for the timely and full delivery of the Sicily/Marguerite Park Flood Alleviation Project.
“To live with the constant threat of flooding is to live with the constant dread of storm clouds. It is sleepless nights, feelings of helplessness and strained family relationships,” she told the Assembly Chamber.
“That is the reality for individuals and families in the area, who have endured out-of-sewer water flooding in their streets on numerous occasions since as far back as 2008.
"While I welcome the fact that work has begun on Phase 1 of the Sicily/Marguerite Flood Alleviation Project, it will address only the flooding in Marguerite Park. Flood alleviation works for Sicily Park are part of Phase 2 of the project and will commence only after the completion of the extension of the Belfast Storm Water Tunnel to Musgrave Park.
“As recently as last month, I wrote to the Infrastructure Minister for an update on the project. I was informed that the extension of the Belfast Tunnel is not scheduled to start until the later part of Northern Ireland Water's business plan for 2021-27. In the absence of a detailed project plan from NI Water, residents and homeowners in Sicily Park can only assume that they will continue to endure continued flood risk for, at best, another eight years.
“We must remain committed to our New Decade, New Approach obligation to urgently invest in waste water infrastructure. After all, what is the alternative? No new homes because of a lack of water capacity, the risk of breaching our environmental obligations and sandbags at the doors of Sicily Park residents, who could be continually under siege from overflowing sewage. The issue will only get worse if we continue to kick the much-needed investment further down the road.
“We cannot allow inadequate finance to delay the delivery of a much-needed flood alleviation project.”
