Cape Town is not the only city that is facing a water crisis – Ireland is now facing water restrictions and a drought that has been ongoing since February 2018. As of 2, July 2018 a hosepipe ban has been implemented in the Greater Dublin area due to water shortages, lack of rainfall and population increase.
According to The Irish Times, the causes for the water shortage is due to the increasing water consumption levels and a change in weather patterns. The drought reached a state of crisis in March 2018 as the Dublin reservoirs ran dry. In order to tackle the water shortage, Irish Water has created a crisis management team that will be working with the drought management team to manage the critical issue.
The Irish Times indicated that Dublin water consumption levels have reached an all time high of 615 million litres a day, last week. The warmer temperatures are putting a strain on the use of water as many locals are opening the taps more frequently. The hosepipe ban that was put into place has helped reduce this to 575 million litres a day. The expected levels of water consumption in the Greater Dublin area are 565 million litres a day and the existing usage will have to decrease in order to reach their manageable target.
Irish Water is appealing to the public to reduce water usage as it states, “We urgently need your help and support to conserve water at this time. You can help us by turning off your garden sprinklers, not using your hosepipes, not washing your car and taking shorter showers and not baths.” A statement that Capetonians are familiar with, take a two minute shower and no baths not to forget ‘if its yellow, let it mellow’. Along with its plea, Irish Water has placed schemes to help fix leaking pipes on properties with the ‘first fix to be free’ – they are hoping that these measures will help to prevent water wastage.
Ervia is working along side Irish water to develop infrastructure towards water usage and availability that should be put into place by 2024 as mentioned in The Irish Times. The Eastern and Midland areas of Ireland are feeling the pressure as Ervia’s project manager, Gerry Geoghegan said speaking to the Irish Times, “It is not sustainable, that a city of nearly two million people should be hanging off one single river.”
Irish Water produces 1,7 billion litres of drinking water a day from at least 900 sources in the country. These sources of water are unable to keep up with the demand placed on them due to a lack of infrastructure, a growing population and the lack of rainfall patterns.
Ireland is working towards managing the water crisis although levels of usage are escalating. Tourists are encouraged to be water wise while visiting the country and join in the movement to save water.
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