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

The water in the northside of Cork city is an absolute disgrace. There is dirty, unclean water going to half the population of Cork. I was in Mount Farran on Monday where I met a father who told me his wife is in hospital. He has four young children, two of whom are diagnosed with ASD. He is trying to wash their clothes and they are coming out black. I have photographs that I can send to the Minister. He is buying 120 l of water a week so his children have clean water, but when his kids go into the shower the water comes out dirty.

I met a lady who had a launderette in the northside for 30 years. She has lost her contracts and is at risk of going out of business because she cannot get water. You cannot run a launderette without water. This woman has been running a business for 30 years. This is happening right across the northside, from Gurranabraher to Farranree to Ballyvolane. There was a commitment in the budget to give €1 billion to Irish Water. We need €500 million to replace the 300 km of cast-iron pipes.

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