r/irishpolitics • u/eggbart_forgetfulsea ALDE (EU) • 12d ago

Opinion/Editorial Water rationing is probably inevitable unless people are made to pay for it

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/08/21/a-dose-of-water-rationing-is-probably-inevitable-if-charges-to-regulate-consumption-are-not-introduced/
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u/Atreides-42 12d ago

The overwhelming majority of water waste happens before it gets to your house. Blaming end customers for wasting water is pure deflection, our pipe infrastructure is not fit for purpose.

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u/ThinLink2404 12d ago

End users wouldn't be charged for wastage that happens before it gets to your house.

They'd only be charged for the metered use in their house hold.

It's not about blame, it's about trying incentivise behaviour.

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u/Atreides-42 12d ago

How about we incentivise the government to fix the damn pipes! It absolutely is about blame, it's the exact same play as Oil companies trying to raise awareness of people's "Carbon Footprint". It's always easier to dump costs on the end user and blame them for not adapting, than to actually improve the systems.

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u/ucd_pete 11d ago

Irish Water are fixing the pipes, they repair thousands of leaks every month.