Restrict water meter installation to cities, urges leading engineer

THE GOVERNMENT should consider restricting the installation of water meters to cities only, one of the country’s leading water engineers has said.

Ray Earle, a senior project manager with Dublin City Council and chairman of the World Congress on Water, Climate and Energy which opened in Dublin yesterday, said it did not make economic sense to install meters in most rural counties.

It would be a mistake to rush into the universal installation of meters without considering the economic and environmental consequences of the project, he said.

“Is it fair that you would have the same roll-out of meters in Leitrim as in Dublin? Dublin needs a new water source; Leitrim has plenty of clean water and the cost of water production is low. You have to ask is it worth putting in all those meters in Leitrim?”

While the Government is committed to charging for water under the EU-IMF financial support programme, it could make a case that charges made sense for cities but not for rural areas.

“At the end of the day the troika wants us to show value for money. We need more time to carry out comparative studies and pick the best solution for water charging, because once the decision is made there’ll be no going back.”

Even if the Government stuck with the decision that all homes must be metered, their installation should be phased, starting with cities, Mr Earle said.

Where meters are installed they should be put inside the home and not at the property boundary, he continued said. He understood the Government reluctance to do this, as it meant the householder would not be paying for water lost in leaks from pipes underneath gardens, but it would mean that apartments and houses with shared supply pipes could be metered.

More importantly, he said, it would increase consumer confidence and support for the scheme.

“If the meter is put inside the house instead of on the street, it will eliminate the concern that it might be interfered with. People will also know that they are not paying for unaccounted water lost through leaks and it will remove the fear that they are going to get this incredible bill they won’t be able to pay.”

Delegates from more than 60 countries are attending the International Water Association’s World Congress on Water, Climate and Energy in Dublin this week. Speaking at the conference, Engineers Ireland president PJ Rudden said not charging households for water was economically and environmentally damaging.

“There’s nothing more powerful to effect real change in society than a good crisis. So let’s not waste a good crisis and fix what is broken in our economy. That includes the management of our water resources.”

Engineers Ireland was fully behind the Government’s plan to introduce domestic water metering. “Householders currently pay for every other utility, like electricity, gas and communications, so why not also for water on a pay-by-use system?”