Restrictions on water supply will be put in place across the Dublin region and neighbouring counties from 7pm on Monday night until 7am on Tuesday, in order to reduce pressure on reservoirs.
Overnight restrictions on water will likely be in place for a number of weeks, Jerry Grant, managing director of Irish Water, has warned.
Speaking after the latest National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) meeting, Mr Grant said Irish Water would be reducing water pressure from evening time “for the foreseeable future” in Dublin.
The large number of leaks caused by the extreme weather last week, and increased usage across the system, has put the water network under serious strain. The demand on the system is currently 60 million litres higher than a normal day’s usage.
The effect of the water restrictions will be worse for households on higher ground, or on the edges of the supply network. Dublin, Carrickmines and Balbriggan were currently under significant supply pressure, Mr Grant said.
“If we don’t get this right, some areas could be subject to further restrictions, but that’s something that we’re trying to avoid,” he said.
People are advised to check for any leaking pipes in their homes, to limit the duration of showers, and to minimise flushing the toilet where possible, Mr Grant said.
Hospital outpatient appointments and day surgeries will resume across the health service from Tuesday, apart from in Co Waterford, where the snow and road conditions are still causing significant problems.
Abandoned cars
Motorists who abandoned cars at the side of roads due to the heavy snowfall during Storm Emma are being asked by gardaí to collect the vehicles “as soon as possible”. The abandoned cars are an “obstruction” to clean-up efforts, Chief Supt Aidan Reid told the NECG briefing.
There is also a fear that thawing snow may lead to localised flooding in parts of the country.
The high tide in Co Cork has led to flooding in Midleton, and the Bailick Road is impassable. The public are being warned to stay away from coastal areas of Dublin and Wicklow between 2pm and 4pm, until the high tide passes.
The Office of Public Works has also advised local authorities to monitor sea levels for potential flooding.
Sean Hogan, chairman of the NECG, said overall “much of the country was now back up and running”.
Met Éireann said Co Wicklow received the largest accumulated snowfall during the extreme weather, according to initial measurements.
ESB Networks hopes to restore power on Monday to the last 40 premises that were disconnected due to the weather. A spokesman said the company appreciated the "difficult situations" customers who lost power experienced during the storm.
Since Thursday a major operation has been in place to clear snow from roads across the country.
In total, 3,300 local authority staff, 2,200 individuals from the fire service, 1,900 Civil Defence volunteers and 1,300 troops from the Defence Forces were involved.
