‘We’re worried for our premature baby – we can’t even wash him’
FAMILIES, the elderly and people with health problems spoke of their difficulties as towns and villages in the north-east endured another day without a water supply.
Hot weather aggravated their problems as they were unable to shower, do laundry or cook normally as workers battled to repair the rupture of a large water main.
Carmel Hill (64), from Rathmullen Park in Drogheda, suffers with her health and she said the lack of water has aggravated her issues. Mrs Hill needs the assistance of a nebuliser to breathe and she told the Irish
Independent the last few days have been very difficult.
“I’ve got lung problems and I’m asthmatic. This heat is killing me and I’m finding it very hard to breathe and I need to drink a lot of water.
“I’ve felt shattered and have been walking to the shops for water. The water is too heavy to carry so I don’t bring it home myself. I normally have to shower a lot because of the perspiration. It’s awful not being able to shower,” she said.
“It’s absolutely crazy and it’s getting me down. I had just recovered from pneumonia. I went to Aldi for water and 10 minutes later, they were sold out,” she added.
Meanwhile, parents Becky and Tomás Wilkinson (30) have been buying bottled water to use for sterilising bottles for their premature son Teddy.
“Teddy is 10 weeks old now but was born three weeks early,” said Mrs Wilkinson from their home in Clogherhead, Co Louth.
“We have had to buy and boil water for sterilising and on Sunday we had to travel to relatives in Dundalk to bath Teddy. Now we are being warned we may be waiting until the end of the week for a resolution.
“This is a major imposition and is adding stress when we are trying to get into a routine with a new baby.”
The couple are also concerned about the lack of water because Teddy has had his vaccine for rotavirus, the gastrointestinal bug that is highly infectious.
“Teddy received his rotavirus drops on Thursday and the advice given to everyone after it is to increase hygiene measures, including hand-washing with warm water after every nappy change.”
Mother-of-one Kiara Lynch (27), from the Ballsgrove estate, in Drogheda, said she was finding it difficult to manage without water for her son Alan (9), her mother Jackie (52) and brother Karl (29).
“It’s terrible not being able to wash clothes for my child or to give Alan a shower,” said Kiara. “It was shocking with no water in the house.
“I’ve been going to the shops and spending €20 on water. I was down in a shop at 8am this morning to get water and it was all gone by 9am.”