Sir, – Why does every article about the Irish Water debacle invariably include the phrase “water is a scarce resource”? Anyone driving through Wicklow, Kerry or many other mountainous Irish counties, or indeed any unfortunate individuals living or working near most Irish rivers, can attest to the fact that water is indeed far from a scarce resource in Ireland, and is unlikely to be so in the foreseeable future.
If, instead of parroting the “scarcity” phrase like zombies, the authorities had taken the time to explain the real need for water charges – the need to make up for decades of neglect to the supply system, and the principles being expounded by the EU about polluters paying, etc – then it is possible that the whole controversy might have been avoided.
It would be different if there was some plan to export water to those countries like Spain and Greece where indeed there is a serious resource problem, but that has never been suggested. As it stands, Ireland as a country will have an abundance of usable water well into the future. – Yours, etc,
DAVE ROBBIE,
Booterstown, Co Dublin.