Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As I said, some of our waterways and rivers have not been maintained for many years.

If some areas are at high risk of drought, a certain area could be licensed to allow abstraction to take place because it has a higher volume of water, rather than it being taken from farther up the river where it would prevent the water from making it down to the next place. It could be investigated to determine the best place for abstraction in such circumstances, which would be beneficial. If there was an issue, the best point for abstraction, to care for the greatest number of people who need it, could be specified.

Due to flash floods and other recent factors, many areas have become wider. The river bed has increased from 15 m to 25 m wide and it is taking in land. The water levels have dropped because the river has become wider. This, again, has a knock-on effect for people farther downstream. Will the Bill take into account all these types of waterways in regard to abstraction points, such that everything feeds into a main abstraction point that has been designated as the best place to abstract water?