NEARLY 109,000 homes, farms and businesses are still without water supplies after Storm Eowyn wrecked the country.
Uisce Eireann has issued an update for all householders as many crew teams are scrapping to repair the water supplies.
Thousands of homeowners, farmers and staff suffered a loss of supply due to power outages.
Approximately 109,000 people across the country have no water supplies due to the disruptive storm event, the spokesperson revealed today.
An additional 112,000 people are now being supplied by schemes where Uisce Eireann has deployed generators.
However, supplies for further 126,000 people at risk in areas where power is yet to be restored, dropped from 275,000 yesterday.
The most impacted areas are located along the West Coast and Midlands, including Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cavan, Monaghan, Westmeath, Donegal and Longford.
Kerry, Laois and Tipperary are no longer part of the most impacted areas for the lack of water supplies.
For those who are still suffering a water outage, they can view the updates on local supplies issues are being provided on the Uisce Eireann website and Water.ie.
The repair crews are back on the ground today as they work towards restoring the water supplies and operations at wastewater plants despite Storm Herminia battering the country.
And they are also actively sourcing and transferring generators to sites where power has not been restored yet.
Uisce Eireann is coordinating with the ESB to prioritise power restoration and liaising with other agencies, including the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) and local authorities.
It is currently unknown when the estimated time of complete restoration of water supplies across the country is as Storm Herminia’s arrival will delay it further due to fallen trees and debris.
‘UNPRECEDENTED STORM EVENT’
Uisce Eireann’s Head of Water Operations, Margaret Attridge, said that there has been positive progress made overnight on the repairs, but the number of people experiencing loss of supply due to power outages remains significant.
She said: “This unprecedented storm event (Storm Eowyn) has had a severe impact on our water and wastewater network nationwide.
“Our crews are on the ground in all impacted areas working to restore water services as quickly as possible, but given the extent of the damage to the power network, it may take some time before full service is restored everywhere.
“We apologise to customers who have been without water for a few days and ask for the public’s continued patience during this challenging time, some customers are also operating with restricted service as treated water storage reservoirs and networks recharge.
“In locations where water supplies have been impacted for longer periods, we are deploying alternative water supplies.
“Details of these supplies and their locations are being posted across our website and social media channels as they become available.”
CONSERVE WATER
Margaret also urged customers to conserve water where possible to protect supply while the outages are resolved.
People can take some simple steps to conserve their water, such as avoiding water-intensive appliances during this time.
To conserve water, people are urged to avoid using excess water at home by mending taps and running toilets.
Use a basin in your sink when rinsing food and use it for watering plants.
People are urged to take a shower instead of a bath to reduce water usage but they are warned that taking a shorter shower can save up to 10L of water a minute.
Consider only flushing the toilet when you really need to, if it’s yellow, let it mellow.
Lastly, turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.
