Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed that the Minister of State has not given a cast-iron guarantee that all avenues will be explored, given that he is a member of the Green Party. I will repeat that we are not anti-Dublin or anti-development but almost every town and village in my county is at capacity with regard to waste water treatment, although some of the major towns are okay. Many have water shortages during dry summers. It is not so dry this summer but we still had a hosepipe ban despite all the rain in February. This is, as I have described it, a fantasy project. It will cost too much money. In addition to putting pressure on pipes that are already leaky, causing extra leaks, there is also the matter of all kinds of unsavoury substances such as tar leaching and seeping back into the pipes while repairs are being done. This is reckless.

I am sure there are many hotels and private enterprises in Dublin city that have had boreholes in their back gardens and backyards for a half a century or more. It is not true that the Liffey is the only source we can use. We have borewells all over the country so why not have them here? There is also the reservoir out in Blessington. We should also look at desalinisation of our seawater. Many other countries do this.

Irish Water is penniless and broke because the Government decided to do away with water charges. I know the value of water and how much it costs to produce. We all accept that. This is a fantasy project and other projects will be set back by decades if it goes ahead. It is not too late to stop this. We let the children's hospital become the big black hole it is now. This will be a long black hole right from Tipperary through Offaly and Kildare and on to Dublin. It will destroy other projects for decades to come. I ask the Minister of State, as a member of the Green Party, to stop this madness which will have an effect on ecology, land masses, farmers and people who want to carry on their business uninterrupted.

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