The water challenge - Heatwave is a warning to us all

The recent spell of exceptional weather — the weatherman predicts that it has passed — reminded us all of how very precious a resource life-giving and life-sustaining water is.

The heatwave forced at least 10 local authorities to restrict the provision of drinking water as supplies were put under unusual pressure. The intense, sustained rainfall needed to replenish reserves remains elusive. Restrictions may intensify and become more widespread if reservoirs are not replenished in the immediate future.

Years if not decades of willful neglect of our urban water infrastructure — delivery pipes primarily — means that in some areas up to, if not more than, 50% of water treated to drinking standard is lost through leaks. Apart at all from the economics this misuse of a finite natural resource is no longer acceptable, especially as demand for water, particularly in the counties around Dublin, continues to rise year after year.