Mick Clifford: Water shortages in the next decade are a real possibility

Investment, political will, and a new attitude to a precious resource are critical, writes Mick Clifford

The State is grappling with the reality that this is the only developed country on the planet that delivers water free of charge to its citizens.

THE centrality of the State’s water structure to all our lives only becomes apparent when it is in trouble.

For most people, water is there once you turn on the tap, the hose, the shower. And then it’s not. The people of East Cork and the northside of Cork City have become aware of this in recent years. There have been other localised crises, but for the greater part, and particularly on the over-populated east coast, it is not something that has to bother the average person.