Flooding of the Public Right of Way National Cycle Network at the Ynys Aberdare
Flooding of the Public Right of Way (PROW) and National Cycle Network at the Ynys Aberdare is becoming more frequent with increased rainfalls this well used public footpath also forms part of the National Cycle Network. AberdareOnline and a few local residents have had two meetings with Green Spaces Managers and field officers from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCTC) in an attempt to clarify what is required to reduce flooding and keep the PROW’s open to all members of the public.
Speaking to an RCTC officer in the past he said the Aberdare canal needs cleaning out (dredging) he said it is not helping the cause of increased groundwater levels affecting the PROW. A private culvert Natural Resources Wales say is inadequate,
the culvert takes all the water from the Aberdare Canal and a number large streams that flow off the mountains of Natural Resources Wales is not helping the situation.
RCTC have the inadequate water pumps installed at the Ynys not fit for purpose RCTC said in the past on Twitter, “Flooding is due to a blockage in the permanent pumps. If the permanent pumps keep blocking they are not fit for purpose to keep this PROW open. Ineffective water pumps at the Ynys take council operatives and officers away from more vital work.
It’s the ratepayers of Rhondda Cynon Taf who keep paying for ineffective management of public money. RCTC and Natural Resources Wales need to rethink what is needed as a permanent solution at the Ynys otherwise more council taxpayers money will follow the water down the drain.
Why the lack of comment by local councillors and? Or do they approve of taxpayers money not being spent efficiently? No election due where is Plaid Cymru and Pauline Jarman 21 Years as a councillor content to be in opposition? And the Cynon Valley Party where are the founders that promised so much making Labour accountable?
Photograph by Clive Stanley Williams around 2014 this, as you can see from the above photograph, take today no improvement
So many people use this footpath and it was included as a safe route proposal for the new £50 million pound school but we believe this has been dropped by RCTC and it is not hard to see why.
The watercourses around the canal head need cleaning out as far as the Flood Relief Channel Persimmon Homes Development site Coed Dyffryn.
Will the next problem be flooding on the railway line and no train services?
Below a comment made on AberdareOnline November 2014
This is absolutely disgusting, the footpath was flooded for 6 months Or longer last year (i have photographic evidence, to back that up) and impassable! On one occasion, I was walking through the canal back last year (on the Cwmbach side) when i happened to bump into an elderly lady pushing her husband in a wheelchair, when she got to the railway bridge and couldn't pass through the flood, she was only going over to violet street, which would be 500 yards along the bottom of the Ynys. But has she couldn't get through her only other option was to push him all the way to the Ynys swimming pool and then back down through the Ynys and over to violet st. A journey of about 1.5 miles!!! The lady could Also have gone back down the canal and then over towards Aberaman along the side of the new persimmons home development, but that was also flooded because I just walked over from there to get up to the canal. So the council need to get their thumbs out of their #%€%#€$% and start representing the people of Aberdare, and not doing nothing is an option anymore, they need to be accountable for their jobs.
Older photographs extra manpower extra pumps extra cost but no improvement long-term WHY?
