The
Emerald Isle, with its damp climate, extensive greenery and abundant water
supply has truly never experienced a true water shortage, and has many local
thriving fish and wildlife habitats. But
currently, people of the town of Boyle, in County Roscommon in the western part
of Ireland are having to boil their tap water due to the fact that it is
practically toxic to drink. The water
supply has been contaminated by a new bacteria that the town’s out-of-date water
treatment plants cannot purify. The
consequence to drinking the water, “You’re going to be violently sick for 24
hours-it’s as simple as that. It
happened to me twice. But not a third
time” Sean O’Dowd was quoted saying as he and many others were photographed
stalking up on bottled water supplies.
The contamination is caused by a severe downfall in the quality of local
water infrastructures, due mostly to the lack of investment on part of the local
government following the 2010 economic collapse of Ireland. Irish Water, the company chosen to take over
the once locally operated water system plans on spending over 2 billion Euros
or 2.5 billion US dollars to bring the waterworks up to safe standards. This project is going to be supported by
issuing a never before seen water fee for all water usage. Up until now water infrastructure and
management was funded from central and local government taxes, now households
will be responsible for paying for the water that they use in their homes and
businesses, a procedure we have long become accustomed to in the U.S. “We have a big problem in terms of our
infrastructure-it’s not at a state that’s fit to meet the needs of a modern
economy,” says Irish Water’s Elizabeth Arnett.
