Independent TD Mattie McGrath has called on the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy, to provide further clarification on the future of the Shannon to Dublin pipeline project that is being proposed by Irish Water. Deputy McGrath was speaking after Minister Murphy requested the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU)/to carry out a review of the Eastern and Midlands Water Supply Project under section 40 of The Water Services Act 2013:
“The Minister says he is doing this to enable his department to have full consent for all commitments for capital expenditure above a certain threshold.
We know however that this Ill-judged project is going to cost at least €1.3 billion, so in that sense a review is welcome.
I just wish the Minister had exhausted all such avenues for review before committing hundreds of millions of taxpayers money to a pipeline that is destined to fail.
To my mind this looks like the delaying tactic the minister needs before he hopefully abandons the project. Either that or he is trying to make the CRU his political scapegoat.
We know from the Kennedy Analysis that at the very least a complete overhaul of the entire project is necessary.
That Analysis proves that, Dublin’s problem is that its water mains are in a third world state of decay having been neglected for decades.
57% of the water put into the supply system pours through holes in its pipes into the ground and never reaches the taps. 57% leakage is astonishing and far from normal.
The Shannon-Dublin Pipeline project does absolutely nothing to address this despite the suggestion that we spend €1.2 billion constructing it.
Minister Murphy must call a halt to this project. If the Minister does not reply, I fully intend to continue organising as much cross party support as possible to highlight this monstrous waste of public money,” concluded Deputy McGrath.