Protest to take place in Cork city amid concerns over water quality
A Ballyvolane resident posted footage of brownish-orange water pouring from his tap.
A protest is poised to take place on Cork’s northside tomorrow evening to highlight concerns over water quality.
It comes just days after Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that Uisce Éíreann needed to give homes and businesses in Cork city a clear timeline as to when the ongoing problem of discoloured water will be sorted.
He was responding to footage posted by a Ballyvolane resident of brownish-orange water pouring from his tap.
A public gathering has been organised for 6.30pm on Thursday evening at the Church of the Ascension on Cathedral Road to protest against poor water quality.
Discoloured water has been an issue across the city, on both the north and south sides for some time now.
Uisce Éireann received 1,484 complaints of discoloured water across Cork city in 2022, while it received 1,628 such complaints in 2023.
Normally, it said, it would receive approximately 750 such complaints per annum.
In 2022, it received 55 complaints from Cork people who said they had become ill after consuming drinking water, while in 2023 it received 40 such complaints, compared to just one such complaint in 2020 and two in 2021.
Ahead of Thursday’s planned protest, public representatives have strongly criticised Uisce Éireann.
Mick Barry, Cork North Central Solidarity-People Before Profit TD, said the orange water from Ballyvolane had looked “like something you would expect to see in a Third World country”.
“Access to safe, clean water is a human right and Uisce Éireann is denying that right to households in Cork City,” he said.
Ted Tynan, Workers’ Party councillor for Cork City North East, noted that a motion of his calling on Cork City Council to lobby Government for the abolition of Uisce Éireann had been adopted earlier this year.
“Considering the mismanagement of the city’s water supply, I am now calling on the Government as a matter of urgency to abolish Uisce Éireann and transfer all water treatment services back to local authorities, such as Cork City Council,” he said.
Michelle Gould, who is a Sinn Féin candidate in Cork City North West, said people on the northside were angry and frustrated by the lack of action of Uisce Éireann.
“For far too long, people have had to deal with not being able to depend on having clean drinking water in their taps. This is particularly affecting families with babies having to prepare baby bottles and older people,” Ms Gould said.
“It is also especially worrying for vulnerable people, or people with limited sight, as they will not be able
to tell if their water is clear or not.”
A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said it had established a taskforce dedicated to improving water quality, which is implementing a clear plan which includes increased sampling, targeted flushing programmes and watermains replacement.
It said that regular sampling is already carried out at customers’ taps and on the network, and operational sampling is carried out at the water treatment plant.
"With the key focus of protecting public health, Uisce Éireann has increased its sampling efforts, further increasing investigative proactive monitoring at customers’ taps. This is to provide continued reassurance that the water is compliant once running clear, and to assist with investigations into discolouration issues. Customers reporting instances of discolouration help us to determine sampling locations in the network.
T2o ensure the community is kept informed and supported, proactive callbacks are being made to customers who have previously raised concerns over discoloured water. Uisce Éireann has reached out to approximately 235 customers to date, with the aim of providing updates on ongoing works and gathering further information about customers’ experiences. This is in addition to any routine customer reports received, where a callback is made, as per standard procedure," it said.
It said that the targeted flushing programme works in the Douglas area are nearing completion.
"The next area to be flushed will cover Iona Park, Murmount, Merrion Court and parts of Gardiner’s Hill. These works are scheduled to commence the week beginning 22 April. Plans are also being progressed for flushing in the Blarney Street, Cathedral Road, Gurranabraher and surrounding areas," Uisce Éireann said in a statement.
It said it advised people not to drink discoloured water.
“In the event of discolouration, running the tap for several minutes - we recommend up to 20 minutes - will usually restore water to a clear colour. The water is safe to drink once running clear.”
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