take a leak at Yourself
»»irish water is to blame for supply shortfall says expert »»utility ‘should apologise’ as hosepipe ban gets under way
THE public should not be blamed for any reckless use of water as “decades of underinvestment” led to the summer drought, an expert claimed yesterday.
Emma Kennedy has been examining Dublin’s infrastructure and believes Irish Water should apologise over the massive 57% leakage rates across the country.
She stressed that makes Ireland worse than any other country in Western Europe – with the UK and London the next worst offender.
A hosepipe ban of at least one month for the Greater Dublin area came into force yesterday and it is likely further restrictions will affect parts of Laois, Kilkenny and Limerick.
Householders could face a €125 fine for using a hosepipe to water their garden, wash their car or private boat or for filling a swimming or paddling pool or a fountain.
Ms Kennedy, founder of Kennedy Analysis, said: “There are two elements to leakage – there’s distribution leakage and there’s household leakage. Distribution leakage, that’s Irish Water’s responsibility, is over 50% across the country. “That’s Irish Water’s data, not ours. That’s worse than any other country in Western Europe.
“So for people, this is not an issue created by reckless use by householders. This is an Irish Water issue and frankly they should be owning it and they should be apologising for it.
“This is driven by decades of underinvestment.”
Ms Kennedy told Newstalk Breakfast instead of focussing on fixing the leakage problems during recent decades Irish Water and its predecessor essentially “turned up the tap” on 140-year-old pipes.
She added: “It was incredibly shortsighted, it was reckless. It was essentially a timebomb. Those pipes, the life expectancy is 80 to 100 years.” Irish
Water denied leaks in the system had contributed to the crisis the country is facing.
A spokeswoman said: “Irish Water has noted some recent media reports suggesting the supply/demand deficit in the Eastern and Midlands region can be addressed by fixing existing infrastructure, without the need for a new major source of water in the short term.
“This statement is misleading and does not reflect the reality of the situation facing the region,
“Today, Irish Water is managing water supply services in areas like Mullingar, Athlone and east Meath on a week to week basis, with a constant risk of restrictions.
“In the Greater Dublin Area, Irish Water is relying on the goodwill of householders and businesses to keep demand within the limits of what we can produce, with our Liffey plants operating at full capacity.” Meanwhile, an image which appears to show Dublin City Council flouting the capital’s hosepipe ban surfaced on social media yesterday.
Twitter user Roisin Macguire shared the snap which appeared to show workers power-washing the pavement on O’connell Street.
A Dublin City Council spokesman said: “The street washing service has been reduced in response to the water restrictions.
“The ban is on domestic hosepipes but we nonetheless are making every effort to minimise our water usage while at the same time trying to maintain a minimum level of service in the city.”