Water supply in 60 areas ‘vulnerable’

ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley yesterday admitted water supplies in 60 parts of the country are vulnerable to cryptosporidium outbreaks.

Mr Gormley said it was not acceptable for people to be without clean water in a country as rich as Ireland as he unveiled a €5.8 billion long-term package to turn the situation around.

“My department and the Environmental Protection Agency have located 60 sites which are vulnerable to cryptosporidium and we now have to target those areas.

“That is why I am setting up an emergency fund for local authorities to draw down money quickly to deal with situations like that,” he said.

Mr Gormley insisted lessons must be learned from the Galway health crisis as a boil water notice was lifted last week in the city following an E-coli contamination.

He said local authorities would be able to access a contingency fund for emergency infrastructural works to deal with cryptosporidium on a fast-track basis.

“Access to quality drinking water is a fundamental right and there is a need for a greater sense of urgency in dealing with these cases.

“My department and the EPA are also working together on this to quickly identify optimum solutions for problem cases,” he said. The multi-billion euro Water Services Investment Programme includes 955 individual schemes.

As well as upgrading the supply and waste network, the initiative will also target supplies at risk from cryptosporidium and E-coli, improve conservation, bring-in new enforcement powers to prosecute those who fail to protect water resources or cause pollution and tighten protection for rivers, lakes and estuaries.

“Our aim is to bring about a situation whereby all of our public drinking water supplies comply with European standards,” he said.

Mr Gormley added it was unacceptable fro Dublin to lose 42% of its water through poor infrastructure.