Irish citizens fail to save enough water

A nation-wide campaign was launched to raise awareness on reasonable consumption

A water conservation campaign was recently launched in Ireland, supported with joint efforts by national and local authorities. The campaign led by Irish Water encourages the public to use no more than the quantities that are strictly necessary, as safe and clean drinking water is not a given. The daily consumption in the country amounts to around 1,7 billion litres which requires a lengthy and complex process that can take up to three days and seven steps which make the water drinkable. With this in mind, conservation of water by individuals and businesses is crucial.

The campaign does not come out of the blue, of course – it is driven by necessity. It was only a year ago when Ireland experienced an unprecedented drought. Following reduced rainfall and peaks in demand in June 2018, Water Conservation Orders were put in place limiting the usage of water temporarily. Luckily, in August heavy rainfall permitted the storages to be refilled, leading to lift of the Orders. However, national and local authorities appealed for more reasonable consumption in the future.

Be it as it may, recent research has revealed that despite having felt the negative effects of water shortages, Irish households do not do enough to save water. What is more, 53% of the surveyed acknowledge that they do waste water, while a quarter do not even find it necessary to conserve this natural resource.

Find information and tips on how to save water on water.ie/conservation