NOW IT'S A DROUGHT AS WE RUN OUT OF WATER

Now it's a drought as we run out of water

More councils to cut supplies, impose hose bans after 16 days without rain

Calvin and Henry Givernaud enioying the good weather at the fortyfoot Sandycove Dublin.

Paul Melia and Enda Dowling – 20 July 2013
MAJOR water shortages are affecting a third of the country as a drought takes hold.


At least 10 local authorities have been forced to cut off or restrict supplies of drinking water at night as supplies dwindle.

And many more are warning that restrictions are likely to be imposed as temperatures rise to 30C or beyond this weekend.

But the Government is unable to say how much water is stored in reservoirs and how much capacity remains in the system.

The Department of the Environment said it was in contact with the Local Government Management Agency on the matter as soaring temperatures played havoc with water supplies.

The agency had, in turn, been in contact with a number of local authorities which had indicated that supplies were under "increasing demand".

However, it could not provide a detailed breakdown on a county-by-county basis, despite a survey by this newspaper showing that restrictions and hosepipe bans are widespread.

Demand for water is up by a third in some areas as people turn hosepipes on their gardens, take prolonged showers or fill paddling pools.

Meteorologists have confirmed that the country is now suffering a drought as it is 16 days since rain has fallen in almost every part of Ireland.

Not since 1995 has the country had such a prolonged spell of dry weather, and last night Met Eireann said there was no end in sight.

Pressure on supplies has become so acute that six local authorities – Galway, Laois, Offaly, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford – have been forced to introduce hosepipe bans or will do so in the coming days.

The country's biggest local authority, Dublin City, which supplies four council areas in the capital as well as parts of Wicklow and Kildare, warned that demand had increased by 30 million litres a day.

The council, which produces more than 500 million litres of drinking water a day, was monitoring supplies closely.