Mr. Alan Ivers:

I wish everyone a good afternoon. I thank members for giving me the opportunity to speak to them today. My name is Alan Ivers. I was born and raised in a village in the Cleragh-Lisduff area. I grew up in a family of 13 in a house with no running water but that was in the 1980s. We are now in 2024 and I still cannot believe we are in exactly the same situation whereby homes have no access to clean water. I am lucky to live at the upper end of Lisduff. I built a new house and joined a private group water scheme. My original family home is in Cleragh. I have the house rented to a family at the moment.

The family is in a constant struggle, given the problems associated with living in a house with no running water. Water is supplied by a well, which is old and unreliable. Unfortunately, every summer, the well will run dry, no matter how much rainfall we get. There are constant problems with appliances, showers and the washing machine as a result of the low pressure that occurs when the well runs dry.

I will give the committee an example of the last summer when the well ran dry for a number of weeks. Mayo County Council had installed a tap at Lisduff National School, which is approximately 1 km away. This meant the village had access to water but, unfortunately, this was a far cry from being able to stand under a shower in the morning and having clean, flowing water. As the landlord, every morning, I had to take on the challenge of bringing water from the tank and putting it into the well. The well soaked up most of the water I poured in. I did this in the morning, at lunch time and in the evening, as did all my neighbours who lived in the village, so they could get their own private water. I dread facing another summer without water in our village.

I have spoken to my tenants about finding alternative accommodation but, unfortunately, as we know, there is none. Young families are now moving into the village, and these will have the same struggles as my parents did. I see my own children, who will possibly hope to continue to live in the village. They are growing up. At this rate, they will continue to fight the same struggle as the rest of us. We appreciate the efforts that have been made in recent months and we feel that we are closer than ever, but I am now calling on the committee to please see this through to the end. Whatever funding is required must be applied for and made available for the completion of this project. I again thank the committee for its attention.