‘You never miss the water till the well runs dry…’

We take water for granted in Ireland. I have heard many people proclaim over the years that whatever problems we may have in this country, a shortage of water will never be one of them. Now, amidst all the uncertainties of the strange times we live in, I am not so sure about the water.

A recent report in the Westmeath Examiner included an appeal from Uisce Éireann to the people of the greater Mullingar area not to waste water. The water level at Lough Owel has dropped to an unprecedented low. This is the sort of scare we could live with in September or October… but April? This is serious stuff, and if we had nothing else to worry about, the issue of a plentiful supply of clean water could be top of the agenda.

You might at first think that when the lake level falls below its normal low all that is required is to wait for the rains to fill it back up again – such as with the wet week being experienced this week. It isn’t that simple, my friends. When the water level sinks below its lowest optimum level for any length of time, the banks dry out and cracks appear. Then as the water rises, the lake does not fill because so much of the water seeps away through the new found escape routes – and in fact, rather than close in again, the cracks remain and can widen. Another thing here is that it is more difficult to maintain quality when water levels sink. With climate change now a fact of life, depending on nature to replenish our rivers and lakes unaided is no longer a given’. On top of all that, comes the dreadful divulgence from Cllr Andrew Duncan in last week’s paper that raw sewage is polluting both Lough Ennell and the River Brosna. If that news doesn’t worry you, well, it should.

With our population growing and cities expanding, there is an ever-increasing demand for water. It is likely that water will eventually have to be drawn across the country from the Shannon to service thirsty old Dublin.

Clean drinking water is our most precious resource, worth more than all the gold in the ground. The only commodity more important than water is air. Water sustains life. Both man and beast can survive on meagre rations of food – but we can only live a short time without water. As requested by Uisce Éireann, we can all conserve water by turning off taps, only running dishwashers and washing machines when full and general using common sense.

But surely the greatest scandal is that 37 per cent of treated water is lost through leaks and faulty pipes?

This writer may be in a minority on this one, but I find it quite inconceivable that the country rebelled against paying the price of a packet of cigarettes a week to upgrade our water system. Maybe it’s because I never worked or lived in any other country where there aren’t water charges… and a lot more than what it would have been in Ireland. Of course none of us like paying more tax, but rational debate was drowned out by the ‘professional protesters’ while the rest of the population went to work. In poor times we paid for our water by way of digging a well and purchasing a pump. Next many of us contributed to ‘water schemes’ to encourage piped water along our roads.

There are places on God’s earth where obtaining water takes up a major part of a family’s daily routine. Four miles is the average carry for drinking water in Africa – and that is in developing countries. Worse is the fact that almost exclusively, it is left to women and children to ferry the water. No surprise that this water is more often than not contaminated with life-threatening diseases. One in four humans lack safe drinking water around the world, so put that in your water-protesters pipe and smoke it. Surely there at least needs to be a deterrent charge for those who grossly waste our now finite life-giving resource?

Once upon a time there was a plentiful supply of spring water throughout the land. Spring water is that which naturally emerges from the ground. You taste the difference when you put a mug of refreshing clear and natural water to your lips. And this is not just your imagination; water from a natural spring contains minerals that contribute to healthy bones and muscles.

My late and eccentric old uncle refused to drink ‘Lough Lene water’ out of a tap; so we had to retain and maintain a well and a pump in the yard. This was put down to his ‘oddness’ at the time… but Uncle Paddy was nobody’s fool!

Don’t Forget

Neutrality is the most extremist stance of all. Without it, no dictator could prosper.