Polluted tap water ‘must not be levied’

Thousands of households across the country living with contaminated water supplies should be exempt from any Irish Water charges until the scandal is addressed.

Fianna Fáil is seeking a Dáil vote tomorrow, as part of a private members bill on the issue.

Environment spokesman Barry Cowen said it was time Government TDs stopped crying “crocodile tears” for householders who will be charged for water they cannot use — and tackle the matter immediately.

Describing continued inaction as “ludicrous”, he insisted the Coalition could not continue to avoid the situation.

“There are thousands of families and businesses across the country that are unable to drink their tap water and are facing water bills in a matter of months.

“It is a ludicrous situation for the Government to sit back and allow these people to be charged for a contaminated supply,” he told reporters at the two-day FF conference.

“Some homes have been subject to boil water notices for over a year, with cases of e-coli and lead pollution prevalent.

“Yet, under the current legislation, these people are still expected to fork out hundreds of euro for a sub-standard and unsafe service.

“This bill provides the Government with an option to exclude these families from the impending water bills, due to kick in come January.

“Many [in] this Government will tell you that they have grave concerns in this area.

“Well, let’s put the crocodile tears to the test,” he said.

“If they have the concerns they say they have, well let them come forward and support this motion.

“Let’s see the colour of the Government’s money on this issue,” the party’s environment spokesperson added.

Large parts of the country, most notably in Galway and the west coast, have suffered serious potential health hazards for years due to their household water supplies being contaminated with harmful bacteria and chemicals.

An Environmental Protection Agency report from last December on Roscommon, where the Fianna Fáil think-in was held, found that in that county alone, a total of 15,443 people were affected — a figure which was described by the state body at the time as “unacceptable”.

However, while the issue has been repeatedly highlighted for almost a decade, the bill to exempt those affected from Irish Water charges may still face difficulties, due to the potential cost to the new state body if it cannot receive the funds.