People ‘do not know amount of water that they’re using’

THE majority of Irish people underestimate their water use by half, a new survey has found. According to Irish Water, the average person uses 129 litres of water every day.

A survey carried out by the utility discovered that 56% of people believe that the average person uses less than 50 litres of water per day.

One in five people think that the average daily use per person is between 51 litres and 100 litres.

The survey, conducted by Behaviour and Attitudes, included interviews with 1,000 people, which took place during July’s drought.

It was also found that just under two-thirds of people have begun conserving water because of the lack of rainfall that month.

Six in ten people said that in an effort to conserve water, they have had fewer or no car washes during the ‘drought’ period, while 65% said that they have reduced or stopped watering their garden.

Water demand in the Greater Dublin Area has fallen in the past few weeks, dropping from 600 million litres at the beginning of July to 540 million at the start of this month.

Irish Water is still urging people to conserve water as it could be later this year before supplies are restored.

The utility has said it is essential that people realise how much water they actually use if they are to reduce consumption.

‘It is great to hear about the practical measures that people are taking, like the 43% who are recycling water from the sink, or the 60% who are either not washing their car or doing it less frequently,’ Irish Water’s Corporate Affairs manager, Kate Gannon said.