Donal Hickey: Our supplies are under pressure, we need to take water conservation seriously

We each use an average of 133 litres of water daily, 26% of which is flushed down the toilet

A massive 1.76bn litres of water are collected, treated and pumped each day

As I write, rain is belting down. Again! Because we get so much rain, there are people in Ireland who believe there’s no need to conserve water. Up to 25% of us, surveys reveal.

However, given the high cost of producing drinkable water and alarming levels of water waste — up to 43%, mainly due to leaks — it’s a question of time before a government here is forced to introduce water charges and metering, no matter how politically unpopular that might be.

And opposition to such charges might not be as strong as expected in some quarters. Many people realise that water is expensive to supply and treat.

New research for the Water Forum highlights the benefits of smart meters to monitor water use in the home. For instance, unmetered households in Britain use on average of 40 litres per person more water than metered houses. Message clear.

Despite high rainfall, more than 12,000 lakes and 84,000km of rivers, our water supplies are under pressure. In the past four years, there have been some county-based water conservation requests, or restrictions.

As the population increases and the economy ups a gear, demand will grow, so a call for action on conservation from the Water Forum needs to be taken seriously. Scientists also predict longer periods of drought due to climate change.

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The greatest demand is in the Midlands and the East of the country, with the Dublin area at particular risk of supply shortages. Irish Water says almost 60% of its supplies are in deficit in normal conditions, rising to 66% in times of drought. Our population is projected to expand by 21% over the next 25 years.

Many of our water schemes are old, and numerous pipe networks are in need of replacement. A lot of money is being spent on reducing leakage, replacing pipes and upgrading treatment plants.

“But, all of this work takes years to achieve, the average project taking seven years to complete from inception to working infrastructure,’’ the forum points out. 

Against this background, it is interesting that water conservation measures are rarely considered. 

The forum recently commissioned research with a view to devising a framework for improving domestic water conservation, with an emphasis on education and awareness, as well as stronger regulation and the introduction of smart metering.

A massive 1.76bn litres of water are collected, treated, and pumped each day. We each use an average of 133 litres daily, 26% of which is flushed down the toilet. Each person could save six litres per minute by turning off the tap while washing their teeth, or use half the amount of water by taking a shower instead of a bath.