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

For more than a year I have been receiving complaints about dirty, discoloured water. Before Christmas I put out a call asking people to contact me or my office if they have issues with discoloured and dirty water. Hundreds of people in Cork contacted me to say that they have had discoloured and dirty water for months, on and off. Before Christmas I met with Uisce Éireann. I was disappointed that no Government Deputy was at the meeting to hear what was going on, because I told them the reality that my constituents were facing. Some €40 million was spent on developing a new water treatment plant on the Lee Road in Cork. That was turned on more than a year ago and the water is now worse than it ever was.

How is it possible to spend €40 million and have worse and undrinkable water afterwards? This is 2024, and today alone, I was contacted by people in Blarney Street, Blackpool, and Ballyvolane who told me their water is still dirty. It is still unclean. This is drinking water we are talking about. A man contacted me and told me his mother had dementia and he found her on a number of occasions drinking discoloured water from the sink. There are vulnerable people, such as people who are blind or who might have limited sight. There are other people who tell me about the damage done to their showers, their washing machines and many other things. In all fairness, how is it possible in this day and age? Will the Minister of State contact Uisce Éireann to put a solution in place to sort this?

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