Water supplies still at critically low levels

WATER supplies across the country are still at critically low levels, with more than 1,500 homes in Cork city alone still without water.

Environment Minister John Gormley, who is co-ordinating the Government’s response to the crisis, told the Emergency Response Committee that despite improvements in Dublin city, thousands of people are still suffering from shortages.

In a statement to the committee, the life-span of which has been extended due to the situation, Mr Gormley said water demands in Dublin city had fallen by 80 million litres this week, representing an improvement in services.

However, the environment minister added that shortages were still apparent in Fingal County Council with tankers continuing to be positioned in the area, while severe difficulties continued to affect parts of Cork, Limerick and Mayo.

In Cork, 1,500 homes on the north side of the city are still without water, while more than 2,000 ESB customers have been left without power as storm force winds and flooding hit the south west.

Due to the shortages, water will be shut off at night to certain parts of the city to help engineers restore a full supply to all those affected by the freezing conditions.

A boil water notice remains in place in affected areas until at least the weekend, while the city council has warned that cold weather and a 30% surge in demand caused by hoarding and running taps has put huge pressure on the entire water supply system.

In Limerick, parts of Ballylanders and Kilfinane were also left without water following a drop in reservoir levels.

Services were also turned off during the day in housing estates in Caherconlish and Oola as council workers tried to ensure supplies to schools and businesses.

“The latest water shortage crisis was entirely predictable given the shambolic state of the country’s water network and the Government’s failure to fix it, especially when 43% of the supply was already leaking into the ground,” claimed local TD Dan Neville.

Similar difficulties have also been reported in Mayo as freezing temperatures and flooding led to a number of community water supplies being cut.

The water shortages came as Chambers Ireland said the issue highlighted the need for water meters and charges for all users to be introduced as a matter of urgency.

The body’s deputy chief executive Seán Murphy said people would not leave taps running if they knew they would be charged for it.

“This simply would not happen if people were paying for these scarce resources.”