Water metering: Clarity is required on ‘stealth tax’

There is a vacuum in the public perception of the issues surrounding water charges. People are confused because they have not been getting straight talk from the Government, and the various opposition parties have been exploiting the resulting confusion. That was inevitably going to happen in the run-up to elections.

Members of the Green Party were proud of their role in compelling Fianna Fáil to agree to the introduction of water meters as part of a revised programme for government in 2009. The Greens contended that such water charges in other countries led to marked declines in consumption. One study showed that water usage in the UK dropped by 16%.

Some 40% of the water in this country is lost in leakage. Much of that may well occur before the water actually reaches the meters for any houses, so this may have little impact on tackling the leakage problem. After the meters have been installed, the leaks will still have to be tackled, and the efficacy of the whole thing will come under serious questioning.