Mayo residents being ‘held for ransom’ over lack of water services

People in Mayo are being “held for ransom” over a lack of water services, the Dáil has heard.

The issue was raised by Mayo Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh during a recent debate on Uisce Éireann.

The Sinn Féin Deputy said: “I wish to talk about the situation with water in County Mayo and, in particular, with group water schemes.

“Let me be very clear: the people in Mayo are just as important as the people living anywhere else in this State.

“I know the Minister and the Minister of State will agree with that. They have a right to water, a right to clear running water, and a right to access water 24-7.”

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She outlined the issues facing people living in certain isolated parts of the county.

“I want to talk first about homes in areas like Glensaul in Toormakeady, in Craggagh near Balla and in parts of north Mayo where there are clusters of fewer than 25 houses.

“The rules for funding exclude them from getting a water supply. That is just not right. This is a weakness in the system and the criteria must be relaxed.

“Funding must be provided so that Mayo County Council can get on with the work and the households can get on with their lives.

“I ask the Minister and Minister of State to listen to what I am saying because I am providing them with solutions. I do not want to be standing up here again in front of them speaking about water in Mayo.”

Deputy Conway-Walsh also highlighted the problems being faced elsewhere in the county.

“The second thing I want addressed is the eight schemes in Mayo that are waiting at the moment - there are others in the pipeline - to be taken in charge by Uisce Éireann.

“Six of them have not been taken in charge because of debt. Some of them have been with Uisce Éireann for the past seven years.

“Uisce Éireann will not take over one of these schemes because it is being fed by another scheme with leak issues.

“Debts on these schemes have mounted up over the years, through nobody's fault. With the pipes deteriorating and leaks happening, the volunteers and the households in the scheme cannot be held to ransom over these leaks.”

She called on Uisce Éireann to write off these debts, take over the schemes and get on with the job at hand.

She commended the work of Mayo County Council’s rural water section, which is working to address water issues in the county.

However, Deputy Conway-Walsh bemoaned the staff shortages with which the local authority is faced and called for extra funding to be allocated for staffing.

She concluded by saying: “I will sum up my requests for today. I ask the Minister to allow flexibility in the funding criteria to allow for all households to have a water supply, get Irish Water to formally take over the schemes presented by Mayo County Council, get Irish Water to write off the debts run up because of neglected infrastructure.”

Minister of State Christopher O’Sullivan was present in the chamber on behalf of the Minister for Housing, James Browne.

While Minister O’Sullivan did not give a direct response to Deputy Conway-Walsh, he did provide a general response to all members.

He highlighted the work the Government has done to address water issues across the country, but acknowledged that there is much more to do.

He complimented Uisce Éireann on the “significant progress” it has made in that regard, but accepted that the utility is not perfect.

Minister O’Sullivan said: “We realise that Uisce Éireann certainly has not got everything right. We realise there is a necessity to focus on wastewater projects and water supply.

“The Minister and Ministers of State in the Department know there are towns, villages, cities and urban areas where improvements are needed or where basic infrastructure is needed.

“We know that some of these timelines are very hard to stomach and very frustrating but when we think about the various licences and permits that are needed, we can understand.”

He added that the Department will focus on reducing the amount of red tape involved in the delivery of water services.

Minister O’Sullivan concluded by saying that the Government will continue to support Uisce Éireann and the work it is doing nationwide.