The Irish Water Board met today to discuss the on-going drought situation and Irish Water’s on-going response to safeguarding the supply for water for the future.
The utility has confirmed that the national hose-pipe ban will remain in place until the end of August while overnight restrictions in Dublin will continue for another two weeks.
Irish Water says the situation will remain critical well into August, and assured customers it is continuing to monitor the situation very closely. Data shows rivers, lakes and groundwater tables in the East and South of the country are at record lows.
It comes as a status yellow rainfall warning is in place for 16 counties from nine this evening, however it is not expected to be enough to replenish supplies. Irish Water’s Corporate Affairs Manager Kate Gannon commented:
“Irish Water’s first priority is to safeguard the water supply for communities, ensure a consistent and safe supply and minimise the impact of the drought. It has been very encouraging to see the conservation measures taken by homes and businesses and advice for those who would like to do a little bit more is available on water.ie.”
“The measures that Irish Water has taken in the past few weeks have been done to conserve water while minimising the impact on homes and businesses. Whether it is tankering water to resevoirs or fixing leaks, each measure has been taken with the impact on the local community in mind. That is why Irish Water has urged customers to conserve water before putting the Water Conservation Order in place. That is why we have waited to see how demand for water would reduce in the Greater Dublin Area before confirming pressure management at night.”
“Irish Water is very aware that increased water pressure reductions in the Greater Dublin Area could have a negative impact on homes and businesses and the hospitality sector in particular. We are continuing to monitor the situation very closely.”
Rain forecast for the weekend is not expected to be enough to restore supply.
However, Liz Gavin from Met Éireann says it will improve soil moisture.
She said: “We are going to see some heavy bands of rain pushing in from the west later on today and overnight as well. Water deficits are still remaining high in parts of Leinster and Munster but we will see some improvement over the weekend.”
