The inhabitants of a country where it is generally either raining or going to rain can be forgiven if they come to take an endless supply of fresh water for granted. Yet even in this incessantly wet summer, there have been harsh reminders that water supply raises complex questions for the political and planning systems.
Residents of Galway, Ennis and other towns now know only too well what it's like not to have a flow of potable water available at the turn of a tap. Now, studies by the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units suggest that supply for the greater Dublin area may be shrinking precisely at a time when demand is growing.
With Dublin's population expected to grow by a million people over the next quarter century, Dublin City Council has forecast that the present demand of 550 million litres a day will increase to 880 million litres by 2031. Over the same period, however, the impact of global warming will mean that the availability of drinking water for the capital could be reduced by 20 per cent as early as 2020, and by 50 per cent by the middle of the century unless new water sources are found.
Coping with these challenges demands a level of forward planning that has seldom been obvious in Irish politics and public administration. If foresight were water, Ireland would be drought-stricken. The period of 15 or so years in which this problem has to be solved is very short in terms of large-scale infrastructural planning but very long in terms of both the electoral cycle and the attention span of the public. Averting a potential water crisis therefore demands not just concrete engineering solutions but the development of a public mindset in which sustained and rational analysis can lead, first to a consensus, and then to a coherent plan.
The solution may involve the taking of water from the Shannon, the construction of large desalination plants, the imposition of metered water charges or a combination of all three. None of these is a pleasant option and each raises significant questions of feasibility, environmental damage and equity. It is vital therefore that those charged with identifying and implementing the right policies are themselves credible. This is why the first step in reaching a workable consensus has to be the tackling of the very high levels of wastage in Dublin's current water supply system.
The loss of water through leakage has dropped significantly over the last decade but is still, at 30 per cent, far too high and the current projections that it will still be 20 per cent in 2031 are unacceptable. Before asking anyone to make sacrifices, waste has to be reduced to the lowest possible levels. This involves serious investment in the distribution network, changes to the building regulations and a real willingness on the part of consumers to use water wisely. If we are to continue to enjoy the one great benefit of our sometimes miserable weather, both public institutions and private citizens will have to stop treating it as an endless resource.