THE NORTH:THE NORTH'S water service has been criticised as shambolic and not fit for purpose by the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister.
NI Water, the government-owned organisation responsible for water and waste services, is not expected to have full services restored until next week when schools return for the new term.
Up to 60,000 homes and businesses remain on interrupted supplies and some householders have had no water for 13 days. Thousands of people continue to queue for emergency supplies from tankers and stand pipes across the province.
The Lagan Valley Hospital in Lisburn, Co Antrim and the South Tyrone Hospital have also suffered supply problems.
Speaking after a three-hour emergency meeting of the Stormont executive yesterday, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness were scathing in their denunciation of NI Water and offered little backing for chief executive Laurence MacKenzie who faces resignation calls.
"It isn't simply a case of under-performing, we believe it has been shambolic at stages, it has been ineffective," said Mr Robinson. "It has not been the kind of organisation that is fit for purpose." Mr McGuinness referred to NI Water's role throughout the crisis as "totally unacceptable behaviour by an arms-length body".
"We are not prepared to accept this treatment on behalf of citizens. Arms-length bodies need to be held to account. Under no circumstances are we going to stand here and make excuses for a body that has failed so miserably."
Referring to Mr MacKenzie's position, Mr Robinson said: "People must assess their own position and of course if people don't assess their own position the [ Stormont Executive's] review will look at where responsibility lies and decisions will be taken on the foot of that."
Mr MacKenzie said he would not be resigning, insisting his focus was on easing the crisis and on nothing else.
Executive Ministers have accepted offers of help from civil servants in Britain to run call centres. They may also take up offers of emergency engineering specialists and extra water tankers if needed.
Northern Secretary Owen Paterson held a series of meetings at Stormont yesterday on the crisis. Calling for a rethink of the means of financing badly-needed investment in water and sewerage infrastructure, Mr Paterson said: "What will be looked at here is the difference in the way that water is paid for in the rest of the UK and the way it is paid for in Northern Ireland, where it is just an element of the rates.
"I think what is clear is that the events of the last week or so will bring this to a head. It is a major issue that has to be resolved."
However, Finance Minister Sammy Wilson has said water charges will be resisted in the next four-year spending plan, with funds instead coming from the domestic rates.
Trevor Haslett, NI Water's director of engineering, said the situation in Belfast, where 18,000 homes are affected, and in other urban centres would improve over the weekend.
However, he said: "It could be early next week before everybody is on supply. "If NI Water received more money for water mains we could increase the rate of renewal," he said.