Galway residents protest over water

Galway residents will this evening attend a rally calling for a long-term solution to the water contamination crisis in the city and county.

The protest meeting, to be staged by the Galway Water Crisis Group, will be held outside City Hall at 6.15pm. Residents are expected to demand free bottled water and greater access to recycling water containers.

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche last week announced an additional €1.1 million to deal with the issue, which has led to a number of people being hospitalised. The funding is part of a €15 million package of "extra funding" for local authority water services.

According to Maeve Kelly from the Galway Water Crisis Group, who will hand in a petition signed by over 1,700 people to Galway City manager Joe MacGrath this evening, residents are furious at the lack of communication between the authorities and people living in Galway.

"The authorities have talked to the press and to businesses in the city but haven't bothered to address the public about the water situation, meaning that we've only found out what's going on from the newspapers" Ms Kelly told ireland.com.

"We want to show the council and the government that the people of Galway have had enough of the situation and that many are at the end of their tether," she added.

Earlier today, over 100 protesters from Eyrecourt picketed the Galway County Council Offices to demand an end to sludge-spreading operations in East Galway.