Uisce Éireann defends water-use hotline as hosepipe ban comes into force

The order takes effect from Thursday, July 16. Picture: David Creedon.

Uisce Éireann's head of water operations has defended the introduction of a hotline allowing people to report suspected "non-essential" water use during a six week hose pipe ban issued for certain parts of the country.

The comments come as the country enters the second week of the heatwave, with soaring temperatures leading to increased water demand.

A six-week water conservation order comes into effect on Thursday for parts of Dublin, south Tipperary, and parts of Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, and Wexford. The order will remain in place until Wednesday, August 26.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast with Anton Savage, Margaret Attridge said: "We're providing a hotline because we're not asking people to confront people. We don't want to cause any neighbourhood disputes here. People can contact us and we will follow up with individuals."

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Uisce Éireann is also appealing to people to check for leaks and avoid activities such as washing cars and watering lawns.

Ms Attridge added: “If people want to find out if their area is included in the hosepipe ban, in the water conservation order, there are maps available on our website and by going on to our website and putting in your code, you'll understand whether you're included in the area of the hosepipe ban or not.” 

She explained that the hosepipe ban prohibits the use of a hosepipe to water gardens, clean cars, fill paddling pools, or top up ornamental ponds that do not contain fish.

"There were other ways to water the garden," she said. "There was expert advice available around using watering cans and focusing the watering on the root zone and carrying out the watering early in the morning or late in the evening so there's less evaporation."

Ms Attridge said significant amounts of water are wasted on non-essential activities.

“It could get to the stage where the communities that these people live in are put on night-time restrictions. That the service to their community, to hospitals in their community, to care homes in their communities does get impacted. 

"That is why we are bringing in this hosepipe ban, the water conservation order, to get people who live in these communities to work with us so that we can all work together to protect water for essential purposes," she said.