“Water, like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. Since the very birth of human civilization, people have moved to settle close to it. People move when there is too little of it. People move when there is too much of it. People journey down it. People write, sing and dance about it. People fight over it. And all people, everywhere and every day, need it.” —Mikhail Gorbachev” Ireland has the highest availability of water in Europe. Down through the centuries water in Ireland has been harnessed by the brewing and milling industries with great success. Yet various Governments have not bothered to take measures to preserve this natural resource. Dublin, despite its growth in population has had no new reservoirs since the 1960ies. They say they will have to take water from the Shannon because of water shortages in dry weather. This in a country where rains most of the time! Up to January of this year Local City and County Councils were in charge of upgrading the country’s water and sewage systems with the EPA in a supervisory role. But much of the upgrading which was advised by the EPA was never carried out. The EPA is a dog with no teeth. Millions of Euros in Development Levies which could have been used this purpose were never collected by the Local Authorities. Why? Recession I am told. But should NAMA not be refunding monies owed to the Local Authorities from its profits? Or is the tax payer caught out here for the 3rd if not the 4th time? Not to worry, some of the Executives of these Councils have moved to Irish Water or have rode off into the sunset with very good pensions and financial lump sums that would be the envy of any business man facing retirement. January 1st Irish Water has entered the stage promising drinkable water to the highest standard and better water conservation. They have started out doing their business using a big stick, now they are using sweeteners and a small cane to get people to sign up. This has infuriated the Irish people. For the last month Irish Water has made more changes with regard to water charges that would put a Celebrity Model’s change of clothes at a Paris fashion show in the halfpenny place. It is obvious that when it comes to the upgrade of Sewage Treatment Plants the tax payer will have to fork out the money, no way will Irish Water be burdened with the task of Funding any upgrade without a handout for Central Government. Again the tax payer will be caught for this indirectly as Irish Water will have to get its’ “pound of flesh”. Most people believe that the water distribution network will be either rented out or if not sold off to the highest bidder sometime in the future. We know already that both the ESB and Eircom rent out their networks which for the most part were put there with public money. The most galling thing for the Irish people over the last number of months is listening those in authority lecturing the public on the need for conservation, those very people allowed housing estates and warehouse to be built on flood plains during the Tiger Years. They never insisted in sewage treatment plants being adequate for the new populations before planning permissions were given, they were happy to turn a blind eye to dubious waste water and sewage connect ups as long as the levies came rolling in. So now the people who were not responsible for work not done must pay, some things do not change! “She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city”” ― Roman Payne, The Wanderess
Posted on: Sat, 01 Nov 2014 20:14:08 +0000
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