A South-East Clare Councillor has hit out at Irish Water, claiming communication in times of crisis is “dire” and “chronic” from the top down.
Cathal Crowe has criticised the state utility for leaving thousands of customers in Meelick in the dark after their water supply was cut off last Friday.
Irish Water’s website stated that the service would be restored by 3 o’clock in the afternoon, but the Fianna Fáil Councillor says many were forced to wait until 11 o’clock that night.
He’s angry over the lack of clarity on the day:
Statement from Irish Water:
A number of customers in the Cratloe and Meelick areas may have experienced disruption to their water supply for a period of time on Friday following a burst in a water main supplying the area.
While crews were initially able to isolate the burst and redirect the water supply from other areas, two subsequent bursts in another section of the water main resulted in approximately 200 houses on the Clare side of the border with Limerick, around Woodcock Hill and Meelick, being without water supply for a number of hours on Friday.
Following the completion of repairs, supply was restored to all customers by 7pm on Friday evening.
Irish Water apologises for any inconvenience caused as a result of this incident and thanks customers for their patience while we worked on what was a complex repair.
Building greater resilience into the water supply network is a priority for Irish Water. The utility recently commissioned the Limerick Southern Ring Trunk Water Main which now provides greater security of water supply, particularly for the north side of Limerick city and the parts of Co Clare served by this supply. This was a €3.2m investment which gives added resilience in the water supply network so that in the event of a burst in one section of water mains, supply can be diverted from other areas to minimise disruption to customers.
