Water shortages expected but no charges planned

ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley said the Government does not plan to start charging households for water, but admitted the country will face water shortages in the future.

Mr Gormley was speaking after a leading expert of climate change said such charges are inevitable because water will have to be brought from the north and west to more heavily populated areas such as Dublin and Cork.

Professor John Sweeney, head of the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Unit at NUI Maynooth, said the cost of getting the water to where it is needed means it is just a matter of time before charges are introduced.