Critics round on Irish Water for spending €380k ‘on PR’

IRISH Water has been criticised for spending more than €380,000 on corporate sponsorship.

One critic said the utility firm should be spending the money on fixing leaking water pipes instead.

Two main projects that Irish Water supports are the Green Schools and the Clean Coast initiatives.

A spokesman said the campaigns were for ‘environmental awareness’.

The Green Schools campaign cost Irish Water €120,000 in the last academic year and €163,000 in the school year finishing next month.

Irish Water said: ‘The Green Schools programme resulted in 384million litres of water being saved across 620 schools during 2013/2014 academic year. The programme engaged more than 122,085 primary and secondary level students across the country and awarded 220 green flags for water.’

The second programme is the Clean Coasts initiative. Irish Water is spending €100,000 supporting the project.

Irish Water said: ‘The aim of this programme is to reduce sewage-related litter on our beaches and in our wastewater network through public awareness.’

It is also sponsoring an €8,000 award within the Tidy Towns competition to encourage communities to conserve water.

But Finian McGrath, independent TD for Dublin north-central, said: ‘They are basically spending hundreds of thousands on PR. Surely they should prioritise fixing the leaking pipes?’