Water charge plan raises key questions

FOLLOWING on from the announcement by Minister Phil Hogan in relation to water charges, I just wish to query a number of points in relation to the scheme and to ask if the Department of Education has given any consideration to them.

In principle, I have no difficulty with the introduction of a water charge scheme for publicly supplied water. Twelve months ago I returned after spending 30 months working as a volunteer in central Uganda and I have seen just how lucky we have it in Ireland with easy convenient access to clean safe water. For 30 months I would live day to day, never knowing my water supply was going to be working or whether I would have to get my jerry cans and draw water from a local well. Upon wishing to use any water I would have to ensure that it had been boiled and properly filtered.

I also recognise that there has been a serious under-resourcing of the water infrastructure in the country and in light of the winter we had last year, serious investment needs to be made which has to be funded and such water charges are also required under the IMF programme.

However, in every discussion about the supply of water and the introduction of the charge, reference is made to the cost of providing the clean water, particularly for either group schemes or public systems. What happens to the private householder who has no access to such a scheme, generally does not want such access and will never benefit from a public scheme? Why should that person/family who is relying on their own private well, dug and maintained by themselves without any support from either local or central government, why should they be paying for the public water charge? After all, is not the principle, ’let the polluter pay’? No one is happy about paying the property charge but as long as it is equitable, many will go along with it.

However, when it comes to water, this question comes up again and again. Private well on private land, by what right does the government seek to meter it and why should they, where the beneficiary family will not benefit from a public scheme? Is the government proposing to use the charges to create schemes to upgrade domestic supplies and how will that scheme operate? Will it be a case of any money raised from private wells will be ring-fenced within the water budget for such a scheme?

Shane Ambrose

Shanagolden

Co Limerick