Galway Bay fm newsroom - The OPW is warning the Government that it needs to urgently invest over 20 million euro in flood defences across Galway.
It comes as flood risk management plans produced by the state agency argue the current national budget of 430 million must be at least doubled to meet demand.
The Government has set aside 430 million euro for flood defences projects across the country between 2016 and 2021.
However, the OPW, which has produced 29 Flood Risk Management Plans, is warning that figure must be doubled if the state wishes to avoid a massive clean up bill.
It estimates that 835 million euro is needed to adequately protect homes and infrastructure nationwide - and if the Government fails to act, they could be facing a clean-up bill of between 2 and 3 billion euro.
The OPW says that in Galway, increased investment to the tune of 22 million euro is required for 4 major flood relief projects.
Of that, investment of 9.5 million euro is recommended in Galway City to safeguard some 900 homes and businesses from flood waters.
According to the Irish Independent, Cork has the most urgent need for greater investment - with 240 million euro required for 28 projects across the county.
