Disrupted water supplies a source of stress in farming communities, says IFA

As striking water workers in a number of areas lifted pickets earlier than planned on Friday after progress was made in local talks, the Irish Farmers Association said on it was “absolutely vital” that services be restored to households without running water due to faults.

With some 30,000 people in the county without running water on Friday, South Tipperary IFA chair Pat Carroll said water shortages in Tipperary and surrounding areas were causing stress on farms in the region “with livestock welfare a real concern”.

“While we fully respect people’s right to take industrial action there needs to be a solution put in place to ensure a safe supply of water for livestock until this dispute is resolved,” he said.

“It is shocking that an essential service like water supply is unavailable for thousands of households, families and farms in the region. There must be more planning for scenarios like this in the future. Livestock need a consistent supply of water. Contingency plans should have been put in place to avoid disruptions to water supply like we are now experiencing.”

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In a statement on Friday afternoon Uisce Éireann said work was under way to restore services in a number of impacted areas after pickets were lifted at 1pm, 11 hours earlier than originally anticipated.

The move followed local talks involving representatives of some of the 120 members of Unite whose three days strike had started on Wednesday.

It is understood that talks about the provision of written guarantees by local authorities in Tipperary and Waterford had resulted in the workers deciding to conclude their action early and allow for work to commence on restoring supplies in advance of the bank holiday weekend where they had been halted by faults.

Aside from those without running water in the early part of Friday, precautionary boil water notices were in place for parts of Waterford, Tipperary and Cork.

The plants affected were Adamstown, Stradbally, Ballylaneen, Crotty’s Lake, Glenary, Poulavanogue and Glashaboy, Uisce Éireann said.

“Our focus now will be to work with local authority management once pickets are lifted to get plants back operating correctly, return water supply and lift boil water notices as quickly as we can,” said the organisation’s Head of Operations, Tom Cuddy.

“Further updates on the restoration of normal supply in the affected areas will issue once pickets are lifted and Uisce Éireann crews gain access to the affected sites to assess and carry out essential remedial works,” he said.

The three-day strike is part of an ongoing dispute over the transfer of local authority workers and the provision of guarantees regarding the terms of those who do not want to move.

Details of areas where boil water notices are in place along with advice on the circumstances in which water should be boiled are available at water.ie.