Water charges urged to reduce demand

Reservoirs may be benefiting from a wet summer but demand for water in Dublin is outstripping supply, a conference on water conservation has been told.

Major works had started to reduce leaks from waterpipes which waste up to 44 per cent of reservoir water. The conference in Dun Laoghaire also heard that up to 50 per cent of domestic water usage in Ireland goes down the toilet.

A growing population and many new large industrial plants meant daily demand has risen to 450 million litres on average, according to deputy city engineer Mr Tom Leahy, director of Dublin Corporation's £32 million water conservation project.

Although production plants were being operated continuously at full capacity, they could generate only 442 million litres a day in terms of "reliable production capacity", Mr Leahy said.

The £32 million water pipe repair and replacement project would help reduce the loss of up to 44 per cent of water between the reservoir and the tap.

It would, however, provide only a short-term solution, said Prof Frank Convery of UCD Environmental Institute. The institute organised the conference on conserving Ireland's urban water resources with Dublin Urban Forum for Sustainable Development.

Some £600 million was needed to improve the infrastructure but meaningful conservation and charges, through the use of meters, based on use were necessary too, Prof Convery said.

Independent Socialist TD and anti-charges campaigner Mr Joe Higgins said he was an enthusiastic supporter of conservation but not of charges. The Government and EU had to recognise that water resources had never been free but had always been paid for by the taxpayer, especially the PAYE sector.

The average Irish toilet used 20 litres per flush compared with seven litres in Sweden. "Conservation is vital but successive Irish governments have been pathetic in showing any leadership."

The "oh but there is plenty of it" attitude was so prevalent that we do not even have extensive data on water use, said Dr Sue Scott of the Economic and Social Research Institute.

There was scope for switching general taxes and having charges based on usage levels. This would immediately reduce consumption. What was really required was for consumers, on turning on their taps, to think of the costs not only to themselves but also to society.

The extent of water-wasting in households was a prime reason for moving to charges based on amounts used, according to environment consultant Mr Jack O'Sullivan.

Domestic charges would be resisted but an aid to their introduction would be to give each household the first 150 litres of water per day free. A rising scale would apply on levels above that to penalise "car-washers, lawn sprinklers, excessive toilet flushers and multiple-bathroom addicts".

Up to 50 per cent of all domestic water goes down the toilet, Mr O'Sullivan added, consuming expensively treated water. The alternative was to look at the successful application of "composting toilets", which don't use water.