Shortage of water is our mains issue

WITH another week of sunshine and high temperatures ahead there is a real risk there will have to be some form of water rationing introduced.

The fine weather has lifted the mood of the nation and it has also exposed this country’s unpreparedness for a few weeks without rain.

Shops, restaurants and pubs are reporting business is better since the start of the heatwave, however, that could all change if there is any interruption to the water supply.

While the public must play their part to conserve water the current situation has come about due to decades of underinvestment in the mains network.

This is witnessed in the fact other EU countries with much larger populations and huge tourist industries and which have much drier climates are seldom forced to introduce rationing.

It is totally unacceptable that what is perhaps the wettest country in the EU is the first one to run out of water after a spell of weather which is a normal summer for most states.

While there have been mutterings less water would be used if it was metered there is absolutely no proof this is the case or the situation would be any better if had been introduced.

There is certainly a need for a pipe to take water from the Shannon to the east of the country but not until the leaky mains network is repaired or replaced.