Speaking at WWT’s Water Ireland conference in Dublin, Public Water Forum chair Tom Collins claimed the current tension surrounding the water sector in Ireland is largely due to confusion about the market.
“None of this is straightforward, and I believe that most of the debacle around the water issue in Ireland over the last two or three years, is that there has been limited definition or clarity on the issues,” he said.
“I do believe that in the public domain the bigger environmental debate has not been foregrounded,” he added. “Democracy cannot afford thoughtlessness on environmental issues, and water above all, which leads me to take the view that public education, information and debate around water is critical but is also incredibly messy.”
The Public Water Forum is an independent water consumer forum in Ireland, with the primary purpose of representing the interests of the public and water consumers.
The water sector in Ireland is undergoing significant changes, and will continue to do so over the coming years.
Last month it was reported that Irish Water may be taken over by the Irish state as part of a deal to create a new minority government in the Republic amidst a row about abolishing the utility and its system of water charges.
The deal will see the suspension of water charges until a new system with generous allowances is put into place, and Irish Water is able to complete the transition from a commercial entity to public utility.
Irish Water was created in January 2014, taking overall responsibility for water services which had previously been delivered by 34 local authorities across Ireland.
Its metering programme, which has seen more than 800,000 domestic properties fitted with meters, has proved unpopular with the public, as has the imposition of water charges for the first time.
Collins predicted that recovering costs from the introduction of domestic charging would be marginal, at just 15 to 20 per cent.