Hospitals and nursing homes in north Dublin have sufficient storage capacity to cope with the weekend reduction in water supply, Dublin Corporation said yesterday. Mr Tom Leahy, the deputy city engineer, said they had been in contact with the Department of Health and were satisfied all essential needs for water supply can be met.
The corporation, Fingal County Council and Kildare County Council expect that water supplies will be back to normal by 7 a.m. on Sunday. The reduction in supply is due to the shutting down of the treatment plant and pumping main to Ballycoolen Reservoir in west Dublin as a new plant in Leixlip is commissioned.
The areas affected in the northeast city are Darndale, Artane, Coolock, Killester, Clonshaugh, east Santry, Howth Road, Kilbarrack and Donaghmede. In the north-west city, the areas affected are Finglas, Ballymun, west Santry, Cappagh, Griffith Avenue Ext, Navan Road and Glasnevin Avenue. Leixlip in Co Kildare will also be affected.
Mr Leahy said the corporation was asking people not to use washing machines, dishwashers or car washes. They are also asking that automatic flushing systems be changed to manual.
Newspapers have carried telephone numbers which affected householders may call over the weekend. They include a freephone help line 1800 421321.
The corporation has also given details in advertisements about the location of stationary water tankers and the availability of mobile tankers.
The Labour Party spokesman on the environment and local government, Mr Eamon Gilmore, said yesterday the disruption to water supplies in the Fingal County Council area and other parts of north Dublin reinforced the need for a single water authority for the whole of Dublin.
Mr Gilmore said up to seven local authorities were responsible for regulating the water supply in Greater Dublin and surrounding counties, and, while there was a certain measure of co-operation between them, the approach to planning the water supply was still fragmented.