John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would like to take up the point raised by Senator O'Donovan. It is no secret that most of this country is swamped and water logged and that there has been a huge loss of crops and livestock this year. Last winter and the preceding year were the wettest on record yet bizarrely water in Dublin and the surrounding areas has been rationed during the past month. It is absurd that despite non-stop rainfall, water is being rationed.

As I have stated previously in this House no reservoir has built in this country since 1940. Bord na Móna and Dublin City Council have had a plan in the pipeline for the past 12 months to build a new reservoir at Garryhinch Portarlington to supply Dublin and the greater Leinster region. Bord na Móna has the resources to build this reservoir, which it is estimated will cost €500 million and will create 1,000 jobs over the five year period it would take to build it.

The previous Government spent much of its time on plans in regard to building of the Bertie Bowl and other vanity projects and, in my opinion, seriously neglected important infrastructure such as the repair of the pipe network for our water supply-----