9 July 2024
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Sinn Féin TD for Cork East Pat Buckley has called for the Committee on Public Petitions to hold the government to account on over a decade of unsafe drinking water in Corks Whitegate Public Water Supply area.
File photo
Deputy Buckley made his comments following his request that the Oireachtas Committee on Public Petitions discuss the many years of hardship suffered by local who have had to live with an unsafe public water supply. Buckley further asked that the local community be given a platform to share their stories and seek a speedy resolution and recognition.
Deputy Buckley said;
“This supply area serves 9000 households and a Boil Water Notice (BWN) was renewed for the area in May of this year having been in place continuously since October 2023. This only tells part of the story though as a BWN has been issued for Whitegate numerous times since 2012. A BWN had been in place for 4 years before it was temporarily lifted and then reapplied in mid 2016. I raised this subject in May 2016 in the Dáil.
The people living in areas surrounding Aghada, Churchtown, Ballycotton, Saleen, Shanagarry, Ballinacura and Cloyne have been dealing with unpotable water supply for at least 12 years now.
A BWN means water is, if untreated, unsafe for drinking, brushing teeth, washing food which will not be cooked.
This presents many additional difficulties for households. Families are faced with a need to either purchase expensive and wasteful supplies of bottled water or run a system of constant boiling and cooling of a stored water supply.
People have reported to me that pets have become ill from the water if untreated. There is also serious concerns about bathing children in untreated water.
A BWN for a period is a huge inconvenience and disturbance to people. A nearly unbroken decade of BWN’s is a scandal and denial of the publics right to safe and potable water as well as an inditement of the state in its failure to provide one of the most basic needs of the people it serves.
Plans have been made for an upgrade to the Kilva Water Treatment Plant to resolve this issue but given the extremely long period in which this issue has been ignored public faith in a speedy delivery of this solution is low.
As a TD I have been raising the Whitegate areas BWN consistently since I took my seat first in 2016. I believe the Petitions Committee and its members are well placed to give a platform to the people of this community and to ensure that the planned upgraded needed to end this disgraceful period happens and happens as soon as possible.
I would also like the Committee to consider the suffering and cost this has caused local people and if anything can be done to retrospectively address this.
I look forward to discussing this more with the Committee in future.”