'We need to wake up': Academic calls on Uisce Éireann to plan for climate crisis and water crisis

Sheep seek out edible soft grass to eat beside the dried-up Lough Ban on the Curragh Plains in County Kildare on Wednesday. Photo: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Ireland “needs to wake up” to the fact that it is now in a water crisis and a climate crisis, which requires a national emergency response and a long-term plan, a leading academic has warned.

Climate-related water shortages are not going to disappear, Professor Fiona Regan, chemistry professor and director of the Dublin City University (DCU) Water Institute, said.

Uisce Éireann announced this week that the hosepipe ban, currently in place until August 26, could potentially be extended. But any extension of water conservation measures could be extended regionally, depending on the differing rainfall across the country.

Ms Regan said: “If we simply introduce restrictions when supplies come under pressure and then return to business as usual once the immediate crisis passes, we will find ourselves back in exactly the same position again.

“We need to wake up to the fact that we are in a climate crisis — this is a water crisis. That requires a national emergency-type response with a long-term resilience plan."

She said that the hosepipe ban should now be having an effect, and while individuals have a responsibility to conserve water, once restrictions are in place, those who follow them are doing their part, she said.

“There is a limit to how much more an individual household can realistically achieve. The greater responsibility now lies with the water utility and the resilience of the system they are tasked with managing.

“We need a much more co-ordinated and long-term approach to water conservation and security.” 

These measures should include a requirement for large businesses and commercial water users to introduce greywater or water-recycling systems wherever practical, particularly for activities that do not require drinking-quality water, she said.

Planning authorities should also require new developments to incorporate separate water systems, distinguishing drinking-quality water from water used for less critical purposes such as car washing, yard washing and toilet flushing, she said. Also reservoir capacity and water storage need to be planned for future climate conditions. 

"We should be capturing and storing more of the rainfall received during wetter periods, including in spring, so that reserves are available when we experience prolonged dry spells," Ms Regan said.

Uisce Éireann announced this week that the hosepipe ban, currently in place until August 26, could potentially be extended. Picture: Karlis Dzjamko/Alamy Live News

Large water users should also be required to identify opportunities to reduce consumption and introduce closed-loop systems, rather than continually relying on fresh drinking-quality water, she said.

"The water utility, planning authorities, water users and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) need to work together on both immediate measures and long-term infrastructure planning.

"Individuals can and should conserve water, but they cannot solve a systemic problem on their own. We now need investment, better planning, stronger requirements for major water users and greater resilience in the water network itself," she said.

"Unless the utility works collaboratively with the planning authorities, businesses, major water users and the EPA to address both the current situation and the challenges we know are coming, we will continue to find ourselves responding to the same water crises rather than preventing them,” Prof. Regan said.

July was the driest month on record and the second hottest since 1900, according to Met Éireann figures. The Office of Public Works’ water level website shows that the vast majority of water stations where water level readings were recorded were extremely low.

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Also the EPA's hydrology report for July, which was published this week, found that of the 132 river sites it monitors across Ireland, 27 were classified as “particularly low”, 53 as “below normal”, and 50 as “normal”. 

Uisce Éireann said that with the ongoing dry weather, several water sources remain under pressure. But it said that lake-based raw water sources remain generally in a healthy condition following substantial recharge during the winter of 2025/26. 

"Reservoir and lake storage levels benefited from above-average rainfall during January and February, providing a strong starting position for the summer period," the water utility said. 

"While the recent warm and dry weather has increased evaporation rates and reduced catchment run-off, there is currently no evidence of widespread stress on major lake-fed water supplies. However, continued below-average rainfall and increasing soil moisture deficits, particularly in counties in the east and south-east, could gradually reduce inflows and lake storage levels if dry conditions persist through the remainder of the summer."

A status yellow high temperature warning is in effect for Leinster and Co Tipperary until Friday morning, but some rain is forecast along the west coast this week. Rain is also currently forecast across the country on Sunday. There are also signs of more potential rain next week, with a low-pressure band from the Atlantic approaching.