The Office of Public Works (OPW) has said that the flood relief schemes carried out under the Arterial Drainage Act benefit 263,000ha of farmland.

The OPW is responsible for ensuring that these schemes are kept in “proper repair and effective condition” across 11,500km of channel and almost 800km of embankments which have been completed since the 1945 Act was passed.

The Act was passed with the primary objective of draining lands to improve agricultural production, but the legislation is set to be the subject of a Government review aimed at taking the act into step with the State’s climate, biodiversity and water targets.