Sir, – Prof Fiona Regan suggests that the Irish are among the highest consumers of water per head in Europe and should be educated in water management ("Ensuring our water works: Hosepipe bans are too little, too late", Opinion & Analysis, September 4th). She provides wonderful ideas for water conservation, but arguably leaves out the most important – charging for usage.
The average person uses 129 litres of water a day. In Brussels, where water rates are amongst the highest in Europe, the corresponding figure is 102.3 litres per day.
Not wanting to pay excessively for water usage when we moved to Brussels five years ago, my husband and I introduced small steps to reduce water usage (bucket in the shower for flushing the toilets, choosing an efficient washing machine).
These small steps helped bring our average consumption to less than 90 litres per day each.
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Simply being conscious that you are literally pouring money down the drain when the tap is turned on works wonders for “water management”, even when the bills are actually low – ours is €180 per year. – Yours, etc,
CIARA O’DWYER,
Brussels.