Sir, – Once again we find ourselves faced with a spectacular failure of an essential public service. It appears that the Ballymore Eustace water treatment plant has been overwhelmed by a change in feed water character. Professionals are paid to anticipate and plan for such events.
Those who plan to meter and charge for water need to be aware of the resulting contractual obligations. Once a commodity is charged for, it is required to be of "merchandisable quality". I write as one whose water supply has tested positive for Cryptosporidium within living memory. Continuity and reliability of service are also issues.
We appear to be moving to an economic model of Scandinavian levels of tax (for the PAYE sector, pension fund contributors and health insurance holders at least) coupled with third-world standards of public service. This is not sustainable. Troika please copy.
The situation is clearly serious, they have called in the chemists! – Yours, etc,
Dr ANDREW ROUS,
Shanganagh Road,
Killiney, Co Dublin.
Sir, – I am amazed at how Dublin City Council and The Irish Times present the tapping of the Shannon as a done deal: it is not, and the proposal would likely breach, inter alia, the European Habitats Directive and the EU Water Framework Directive. The Greater Dublin Area proposes to tap the Shannon for 600 million litres per day, while 300 million litres of water leak away daily due to Victorian pipelines. What an Irish solution to an Irish problem!
Several consultation papers have identified 60 adverse effects on the Shannon and its lakes, and Dublin City Council has made no provision for alternatives such as exploring ground water aquifers, which supply 90 per cent of demand in Cork city. Nor has it done a relative costing on the option of desalination versus the enormous costs involved in pumping water right across the country. The madness of having the Greater Dublin Area paying the ESB compensation for the loss of generation capacity from the Shannon hydro-electric scheme speaks for itself: it’s a double environmental disaster. We’re obliged by the EU to boost our energy production in renewables, not reduce it.
I’m afraid this is the reaping of poor spatial planning in Ireland. Our regional cities are falling into economic slump while Dublin continues to grow and grow and grow. Ireland is a tiny island – people in New York State travel greater distances to work daily than the relative distances between Limerick/ Cork/Galway to Dublin, and they do so on an efficient public transport network. The solution to this problem is clearly regional development and investment in high- speed transport nodes. – Yours, etc,
NEIL O’BRIEN,
Affick,
Tulla, Co Clare.
Sir, – Adrian J English (October 31st) bemoans the introduction of a “water tax” even as the Dublin area suffers another set of water restrictions. I take the opposite view – the current shortage shows the need to better fund our water treatment system, and encourage people not to waste a precious resource in times of scarcity. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN McARDLE,
St Alphonsus Road Upper,
Drumcondra, Dublin 9.
Sir, – I wonder how much water is wasted by people filling up every utensil and bin they have in their homes with water that probably will never be used just because of the water being turned off for a time? – Yours, etc,
JOE HARVEY,
Glenageary Woods,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – One’s heart sinks when reading headlines such as “Dublin area ‘faces 10 more years of water shortages’ ” (Front page, October 31st)
The attitude that allows such an unreasoned and unsophisticated approach to communicating the true nature of the problem and possible solution in relation to issues such as these brings about a degree of despair among people observing from the outside.
While people leave the country for many different reasons, a key factor encouraging them to stay away is unquestionably Ireland’s tolerance for this “can’t do” attitude.
Why should it take 10 years to solve this issue? It shouldn’t and it needn’t.
I hope all future stories about why Ireland can’t, also include the question “Why not?” – Yours, etc,
SHAUN GAVIGAN,
Strathmore Avenue,
Singapore.
Sir, – It’s autumn in Dublin, the leaves are falling from the trees, the evenings are shorter & with the changeable weather in the last few weeks, there has been at times water, water everywhere, but now at night, there is not a drop to drink (or wash, or clean). It is a national disgrace. – Yours, etc,
PAUL GALLAGHER,
Beaumont Road,
Beaumont,
Dublin 9.
Sir, – Everyone is calling Ireland’s water supply “third world”. Please stop, it is insulting. I have never had my water supply cut for anything more than one day for repairs on local pipes – and even that is not very frequent. Sometimes this is due to leaks being repaired (the Government might want to take note that this is what you do with a water service). Ongoing restrictions for an indefinite time period? Never! So whatever you want to call it, don’t call it “third world”: it isn’t up to such a high standard. – Yours, etc,
GEARÓID Ó LOINGSIGH,
Calle 12D,
Bogotá, Colombia.