Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I had the opportunity to visit Chile some years ago. Anyone who wants to know something about conservation should consider the history of Easter Island. Every Member should do so, if only on the Internet for ten or 15 minutes. The island is so interesting. It had a very established civilisation 500 years ago but the inhabitants did not understand conservation. They cut down its trees for various reasons, mainly, I believe, to build big statues, and when the last tree was cut the last of the population disappeared. There was no way they could live.

We must recognise that we must do something about the conservation of water. There is a limited supply and the amount of water we are using in the world is such that we will not be around in hundreds of years.

I am sure many of us regard fees for water as a consequence of the bailout. We must realise, however, that water is an extremely valuable commodity. We live in a changed world in which population increases have put massive pressure on resources and water supply. The world's 6.5 billion people use 990 trillion gallons of water every year. Trillions do not mean anything to me; I cannot quite figure them out. That said, water consumption has increased twofold in the past 25 years while the population has increased by only 1.5 times in the same period. We are, therefore, using far more water and there is a limited supply.

I have reservations about the introduction of a flat rate for water. Would anyone expect to pay a flat rate for unlimited food, petrol or diesel? The flat rate may be an interim measure and I gather from the Minister, Deputy Hogan, that it is. Metered charges seem to be much more efficient. The United Kingdom had a flat rate for water but the water regulator discovered that consumption typically declines by 5% to 10% in metered households.

I have a daughter living in France, where there is metered water. Bills show how much water one has used and give a report on the quality thereof. My daughter happens to live in an area with water of very good quality and people often visit her with empty drinking bottles to take water from her tap. I hope that when we introduce water metering, the bills will show not only the quantity of water used but also the quality.

The Minister is arguing that charging people for water is a conservation measure and not a matter of taxation. If he were so worried about conservation, he would be targeting farmers. Water is wasted in the main by farmers. According to research published in The Economist, agriculture uses three quarters of the world's water. Urban users use only a trivial amount. Most people drink two or three times per day on average, but 2,000 to 5,000 litres of water per head are used to make the food they eat. If the Government was truly interested in water conservation, it would be targeting farmers and getting them to conserve more water through taxation or even tradeable water rights. The EU-IMF deal leaves us with no choice but to implement the charges.

A rain harvest mechanism was recently pitched on "Dragon's Den". The concept of conserving water caught the imagination on the programme. Authorities in cities such as New York are now implementing measures to conserve rainwater. Last year New York unveiled an ambitious plan to clean up its waterways instead of spending billions on new tanks and pipes for grey water infrastructure which takes years to build and never quite addresses the problem. New York intends to invest in what is called green infrastructure, such as roofs covered with vegetation, porous pavements and kerbside gardens. The scheme involves a fundamental shift in approach as opposed to treating rainwater as waste to be whisked away as soon as possible. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, will know New York fairly well. I understand his relatives are to continue to stay there. The authorities in the city are trying to ensure water is being used for very definite reasons.

I was at the Bloom 2011 festival last week. A very interesting effort was being made there and the concept of rainwater conservation was being sold. There are so many things we can do. This debate begs the question as to whether we will have metered water charges. Metered water should be introduced as soon as possible. The Minister of State says the flat rate to be introduced is not for water and that it is an overall charge. Regardless of circumstances, water must be metered. Water charges must be introduced at some point and this is the right direction to go. Let us ensure we introduce charging in a sensible way.