Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this report. It is a pity it is not more positive, but it outlines the facts, which is very important if we are going to do our work, and especially if the Minister of State and the Government are going to do their work. It outlines the work that needs to be done. I also have serious concerns, however, that this report does not reflect some of the lived experience of the people I have dealt with in Cork city over the past 12 months. We have had serious issues with water discoloration that has been ongoing for months in Ballyvolane, Gurranabraher and Bishopstown. It has left me contacting Irish Water time and time again. People contact me and the issue is resolved and then a few weeks later we are back to square one. That is not good enough. We are talking about water quality.

This is 2023. People should be able to expect a decent quality of water in their pipes. Other areas I represent are Blarney and Togher. In the past four days, the same water main has burst twice and no advance notification was given that this might happen.

There are concerns about whether the system is fit for purpose. The EPA needs to examine how often Irish Water only partially resolves issues, with the issues then recurring repeatedly. Irish Water has advised people I represent to run their taps to see whether the water is brown. What kind of suggestion is that? It does not address the issue of running washing machines or dishwashers. It certainly does not address what someone can do once those machines have been run with discoloured water. People should not have to do that in 2023.

In 2022, the EPA reported that it had found pesticide exceedance in a number of areas in Cork, including Glanmire, which I represent. From what we can tell from EPA reports, it was the fourth year in a row that Glanmire experienced this issue. While I understand that Irish Water might not have responsibility in this regard, pesticides in people’s water is an issue that needs to be addressed. These are the issues affecting people on the ground.

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