It is tempting to draw a straight line between climate change and the five full or partial hosepipe bans – or water conservation orders, to give them their correct names – Ireland has experienced over the last eight years. The most recent ban, announced this week, will run until the end of August and covers Dublin, large parts of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath, Wexford and south Tipperary.
Climate change has seen rainfall patterns upended across the globe, leading to both water shortages and floods. It is undoubtedly an important part of the picture, but Ireland’s water problems are essentially homegrown. The country has abundant water resources and plenty of rain. The issues behind the ban announced this week have more to do with chronic underinvestment and political expediency than the consequences of global warming.
According to Uisce Éireann – the State water utility – population growth means that water supplies are close to maximum capacity in some regions, notably the east and southeast. It warns that demand for treated water will increase by 40 per cent by 2044 – and that things will only get worse unless action is taken.
The problem is exacerbated by the creaking nature of much of Ireland’s water treatment and distribution network. Almost 40 per cent of treated water is lost to leaks. This is well above the European average of 25 per cent and the 10 per cent levels reported in Germany and the Netherlands.
RM Block
Ireland has been slow to address these issues and is now paying the price. Uisce Éireann was only established in 2013. It took over water services and infrastructure from local authorities and intended to finance new investment partly via water charges. The decision to abandon water charges in the wake of public protests meant that it has lacked the resources to consolidate and upgrade the water network.
The Government has committed over ¤12 billion to Uisce Éireann in the National Development Plan which runs to 2030, in order to address the deficit, but progress in major projects will be slow. The much delayed Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project to pipe water from the Shannon basin to the midlands and east of the country suffered another setback this month. An Coimisiún Pleanála has now pushed out the deadline for a decision on planning for the pipeline to July next year.
The project is opposed by various parties concerned about the cost – put at up to ¤6 billion – and the environmental impact. However, it remains the sole chosen route towards addressing the shortage of water in the east of the country. In its absence, hosepipe bans in the east will be a recurring feature of the hotter drier summers ahead and longer-term plans for new house building will be put at risk.
