Nationwide hosepipe ban as water supplies dwindle
IRISH Water is gearing up to impose a nationwide hosepipe ban from today as the country’s water supply continues to dwindle.
The measure has already been in place across the greater Dublin area since Monday, but the utility service has now been forced to extend the ban further, and will remain in place until at least July 31.
The ban includes hosepipe use, the filling of paddling pools – except withbuckets – cleaning walls or windows with a hose, and watering gardens.
It follows most of the country entering a state of ‘absolute drought’ yesterday after no rain fell at 24 of the country’s 26 water stations over the past 15 days.
And Irish Water haven’t ruled out further restrictions as Ireland continues to gulp next month’s water supply, with managing director Jerry Grant admitting commercial enterprises may be affected.
‘We could begin to exclude other uses. We’d be very reluctant at the moment to exclude anything that involved employment or commercial activity,’ he said.
‘We do have that power, but there are rigours we have to go through to demonstrate the absolute case for it. We’ll keep that under review.’
Further night-time restrictions are to be put in place over the coming days, with affected areas including Westmeath, Offaly, Louth, Longford, Laois, Galway, the Aran Islands, Donegal, Limerick, Kilkenny and Cork.