Water lesson

SO in Dublin (with a million or so people) demand for water increased by 25% and exceeded 624 million litres on Monday of last week (Irish Examiner, January 13).

Spurred by this, I checked our meter in the hall. Averaged over the past 12 months, we consumed 165 litres a day or 55 litres each for the three of us. But then our pipes are insulated and we pay €4.77 per 1,000 litres for the privilege of having as much clean water as we want delivered to our taps whenever we need it. Still, that’s the “continent” for you.

By the way, on the same basis, Dublin’s consumption that Monday was worth €2.9 million — so somebody is paying — if not the consumer, then the city council, ie, the taxpayer). The lesson? People won’t save or conserve anything that is free or belongs to somebody else.