School closes for second day after it runs out of water amid high temperatures

Locals fed up with constant water interruptions say they have had to buy drinking water to stay hydrated as temperatures climb and have had no water for showers or washing clothes. File picture: Alamy/PA

Young students who had to be sent home when a school ran out of water in the searing heat on Wednesday remained home again on Thursday as there were still insufficient water supplies.

St Columbanus NS in Ballivor, Co. Meath, had to contact parents to collect their children saying: "I regret to inform you that the school has run out of water.

"We no longer have water for the flushing of toilets. We therefore ask that you collect your child(ren) from the school, if you are in a position to do so."

Working parents had to make alternative arrangements again on Thursday after the school's vice-principal sent out a message to say they had to remain closed.

"I regret to inform you the school will not open today. I have just inspected our water tanks, which remain empty. I sincerely regret and fully appreciate the inconvenience this will cause. Thank you for your understanding in this matter, which is outside of our control."

The water shortages are not only affecting the school but the village whose residents say this is an ongoing issue, whatever the weather.

Locals fed up with constant water interruptions say they have had to buy drinking water to stay hydrated as temperatures climb and have had no water for showers or washing clothes.

They say if there is a fire in the village there is not enough water in the mains for the fire services to access.

Resident and parent at the school, Eileen Yates, said she has had to replace two washing machines, a shower, three taps, a dishwasher and the valves in the toilets due to damage.

Residents believe the water tower is inefficient to meet their needs and the infrastructure needs to be replaced and improved.

The water tower in Ballivor.

"Once the water is gone, it's gone for most of the estates in the village. We were told by Uisce Éireann in 2021 that work would be starting on upgrading the water treatment plant and storage tank but nothing has happened," she said.

"In 2024, we were told that it would be completed by 2027. We are halfway through 2026 and works haven't even started.

"Every day, a private company comes with a water tanker to top up the tank but the tank itself only has a three-hour storage capacity according to Uisce Éireann.

"If there is a fire in the village, how will the fire brigade know if there's water in the mains to extinguish it?

Some of the regular Whatsapps from Uisce Eireann that residents get in regard to water problems in Ballivor.

"There are also people who can't afford to buy bottled water, and in the recent heat dehydration is a big worry."

In a statement, Uisce Eireann said it "understands the frustration caused by water supply issues and would like to reassure customers that the situation in Ballivor is being actively managed by our operations crews".

"However, we recognise that customers in the area have experienced issues in recent times, including low pressure and intermittent outages. 

"While local sources continue to produce water, the volume reaching the water tower has at times been lower than expected, which can affect pressure locally. To increase availability additional supplies are being regularly tankered from Navan to help increase water levels in Ballivor."

It said works are planned to clean and improve the local storage and upgrade the infrastructure supplying the water tower. 

"These measures will help to strengthen reliability and improve resilience of supply in the area."