Irish water massive leak!

GFish

This is not good enough!

We're one month into the worst drought in living memory, the law-abiding taxpayers in our capital cities, the real one and the other one - and apparently some other citizens too - are having to share showers and drive dirty cars. And while all this hardship is going on pure, clean and free Irish water is leaking out of pipes all over the country - though thankfully not out of hosepipes any more.

Then, this morning I look out my windows and it gets worse :eek:

Even purer, even cleaner and even free'er water is leaking out of the sky too! I turn on the TV and RTE news reports that this is happening all over the country and will continue all day and maybe even tomorrow for God's sake! (or whoever).

If this doesn't get fixed fast my nice beige lawn might go green again so I'll have to mow it again this year, the farmers might put those big smelly cows back out in the fields, and I might have to shower alone

Somebody's eyes will roll for this :rolleyes:

suicide_circus

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

A bit like this?

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057891703

iamwhoiam

I wish it would leak over my back garden and over my manky dusty car

super_furry

If only there was a way that Irish water could raise the funds they need to make crucial repairs and system upgrades.

JohnnyFlash

No way, we won’t pay was the mantra. Really sticking it to the man.

suicide_circus

super_furry wrote: »

If only there was a way that Irish water could raise the funds they need to make crucial repairs and system upgrades.

you're living in a fantasy world

...Ghost...

super_furry wrote: »

If only there was a way that Irish water could raise the funds they need to make crucial repairs and system upgrades.

They could draw their funds from the local county councils via general taxation just like they always have. Making a utility fat for sale is to be discouraged.

lmimmfn

...Ghost... wrote: »

They could draw their funds from the local county councils via general taxation just like they always have. Making a utility fat for sale is to be discouraged.

Exactly and where the hell is our referendum to add it to the constitution so it can't be privatised?, no instead we have one to change the voting age etc.

suicide_circus

all utilities should be nationalised. the state is great at running things.

GFish

super_furry wrote: »

If only there was a way that Irish water could raise the funds they need to make crucial repairs and system upgrades.

Ahem - this was a joke. Politics is over there.

zom

super_furry wrote: »

If only there was a way that Irish water could raise the funds they need to make crucial repairs and system upgrades.

They can't even rise level of water in their reservoirs with current rains - it is still dropping !!

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/water-levels-still-dropping-despite-todays-rain-says-irish-water-855352.html

Capt'n Midnight

suicide_circus wrote: »

all utilities should be nationalised. the state is great at running things.

That would break EU rules on single market or something.

Unless we played the national security card

Danzy

super_furry wrote: »

If only there was a way that Irish water could raise the funds they need to make crucial repairs and system upgrades.

Unfortunately, we have never had a Govt. that was interested in that, they completely ignored it for decades until they were forced to and then the first concern was to get contracts to a friend of theirs.

Jennehy

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

That would break EU rules on single market or something.

Unless we played the national security card

Link

uck51js9zml2yt

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

That would break EU rules on single market or something.

£Unless we played the national security card

We already have one of those. It's too flat, it won't plug the leaks

Fr_Dougal

All the water protesters achieved was to make sure that only tax payers pay for water.

...Ghost...

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

All the water protesters achieved was to make sure that only tax payers pay for water.

I wasn’t a water protester. But what they did was force the government to run with their tail between their legs. First, it was about water conservation. Then it was about paying your way. Finally, they introduced a flat fee before it all fell down.

_Kaiser_

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

All the water protesters achieved was to make sure that only tax payers pay for water.

Bull. Everyone in this State pays VAT and given that IW is funded from general taxation, everyone pays for it. You could argue that low income/unemployed pay more proportionally for it as more of their money goes directly back into the local economy.

This nonsense of demonising protestors as "unemployed wasters" completely ignores the waste and dodgy dealings behind the entire IW mess, and the fact that any services (bins for example) that have already been privatised result in significantly higher costs for poorer services.

But sure, blame the unemployed.

Annasopra

...Ghost... wrote: »

They could draw their funds from the local county councils via general taxation just like they always have. Making a utility fat for sale is to be discouraged.

Just like they always have? Do people not realise how bad our water infrastructure in this country is?

_Kaiser_

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Just like they always have? Do people not realise how bad our water infrastructure in this country is?

And IW addresses this how?

What value does an expensive billing agency add? (because that's all it was - even at 100% water charge compliance it was shown to be nowhere near enough to make a difference to the leak problems)

Maybe the real question you should be asking (rather than taking self-serving advertising and radio interviews at face value) is what exactly the councils (and Government in general) are doing with the tax we pay?

Joeytheparrot

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Just like they always have? Do people not realise how bad our water infrastructure in this country is?

When people start on about leaks I really want to know how much they think it would cost to fix all of them. The amount of roads to be dug up/closed alone would be astronomical before disruption is taken into account. Short of a mains bursting or an obvious flood on the road **** all was done for several decades. Hell I'm fairly sure there's a leak at the side of my building, nice roundish patch of grass has stayed green through the drought and continues on the neighbour's side of the fence. That little leak would need bits of two separate properties dug up, grass replace/reinstated and the fence removed and reinstated. And that's an obvious one which would cause little disruption.

ChikiChiki

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

All the water protesters achieved was to make sure that only tax payers pay for water.

Most of the people who marched against it were taxpayers angry at the misuse and waste of their funds.

One state asset valued at €110m sold at knock down price for €45m. The dodgy dealings behind IW were the straw that broke the camels back with people. Government will never pull a stroke like that again thanks to the 10s of thousands who got out and protested.

whisky_galore

iamwhoiam wrote: »

I wish it would leak over my back garden and over my manky dusty car

It's only dust, can't get over how people are so precious about this.

realitykeeper

suicide_circus wrote: »

you're living in a fantasy world

Not so. They could turn off the water and blame people for resisting payment of charges a couple of years ago. Water charges must be brought back with a vengeance. People who refuse to pay should become the cause of entire estates being cut off from the main supply.

iamwhoiam

whisky_galore wrote: »

It's only dust, can't get over how people are so precious about this.

It was fun thread when I posted ! I am not at all prescious and will fill a bucket and fling it over it later . Would be nice to have it gleaming mind you as it carrying a bride to her wedding , so I might sneakily use two buckets !!

nthclare

realitykeeper wrote: »

Not so. They could turn off the water and blame people for resisting payment of charges a couple of years ago. Water charges must be brought back with a vengeance. People who refuse to pay should become the cause of entire estates being cut off from the main supply.

We're paying for water for year's,
Tax payers money went to the local county council's to help manage the water system.

So there's no point in paying on the double.

Grab All Association

suicide_circus wrote: »

all utilities should be nationalised. the state is great at running things.

If this is sarcastic you're completely deluded.

Take Telecom Éireann, it was privatised and in less than 5 years we went from having one of the most modern telecommunications in the world to copper wires held up by branches. Its only the past 3 years they've decided to roll out FTTC/FTTH because Siro would've won the NBP.

AndrewJRenko

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

All the water protesters achieved was to make sure that only tax payers pay for water.

Everyone pays tax. Every time they buy a pint of milk or a pint of beer they pay tax.

McMurphy

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Just like they always have? Do people not realise how bad our water infrastructure in this country is?

They do, and the €2Billion plus FG and Labour ploughed into their own personal vanity project would have gone a long way to addressing some of the leaks.

Considering that the expert committee ultimately decided that the best way of paying for water charges was through taxation.

It was cool and trendy to blame everyone and anyone else for the shambles, from Paul Murphy and the dole scrounging protestors to SF and FF.

Ultimately the buck stops with them.

TallGlass

Why some people are stir crazy to add another bill to there monthly out goings is beyond me.


If we end up paying for water, the only way that bill is going is up and then it will be just sold off, prior to the government introducing some legislation to add more charges to a charge.


Imagine, if we did pay at the moment, the current situation would be used to convince us all we need to pay more.

Cina

TallGlass wrote: »

Why some people are stir crazy to add another bill to there monthly out goings is beyond me.


If we end up paying for water, the only way that bill is going is up and then it will be just sold off, prior to the government introducing some legislation to add more charges to a charge.


Imagine, if we did pay at the moment, the current situation would be used to convince us all we need to pay more.

Water charges in theory make sense. Water is a vital asset that is extremely expensive to maintain and deliver. Most Western countries charge for it. Look at the UK, a country with 65m people. They charge for it, and despite 15x the population over double the landmass, no water shortages at all in this drought.

So I agree with water charges, it's an extra bill and IF that money is actually put towards improving the infrastructure then it's totally worth it in my eyes. Of course, as we all know, the problem with IW is that it never looked like that money would actually go into the infrastructure, and that's where the government c*cked up.

Capt'n Midnight

Jennehy wrote: »

Link

Two words
Dissident Republicans

Capt'n Midnight

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Everyone pays tax. Every time they buy a pint of milk or a pint of beer they pay tax.

How much tax is there on a half litre of milk ?

One of the opt-outs we got when joining the EU was zero VAT food.

AndrewJRenko

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

How much tax is there on a half litre of milk ?

One of the opt-outs we got when joining the EU was zero VAT food.

Apologies, you're right - I should have said a pint of ice-cream, or a pint of Ballygowan or a pint of Coke.

Lu Tze

Great, just bring the VAT rate up to 30-40% so as we are all tax payers to fund the projects to reduce the water infrastructure deficit that has built up over 50 years or so.

Everybody's happy then, funded by general taxation, no water charges!

GFish

Can we get back on topic. Read the OP.

This was never intended as a 'boot IW' or 'gouge the taxpayer' or 'eff the politicians' or 'glorify the protesters' thread and sadly that is what it has become. It was just humour at the first sight of rain.

As the OP and to get back on topic I would just like post an update on my own situation:
- my sky is still leaking
- my lawn is still brown
- my car is still dusty
- I still have to share a shower

but I'm trying to look on the bright side of my life:
- I'm getting to like it when my sky leaks just a little bit only now and then
- I still don't need to mow my lawn
- dust on a car is easier to fix than rust on a car
- and I still don't have to shower alone

What should I not like about that?

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Cina wrote: »

Water charges in theory make sense. Water is a vital asset that is extremely expensive to maintain and deliver. Most Western countries charge for it. Look at the UK, a country with 65m people. They charge for it, and despite 15x the population over double the landmass, no water shortages at all in this drought.

So I agree with water charges, it's an extra bill and IF that money is actually put towards improving the infrastructure then it's totally worth it in my eyes. Of course, as we all know, the problem with IW is that it never looked like that money would actually go into the infrastructure, and that's where the government c*cked up.

The UK is talking about water restrictions too btw.

We need to be able to store more water in the first place. We are not a densely populated country, we are also a frequently rained on country, we should be able to collect enough water to last us forever with a small bit of planning.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Lu Tze wrote: »

Great, just bring the VAT rate up to 30-40% so as we are all tax payers to fund the projects to reduce the water infrastructure deficit that has built up over 50 years or so.

Everybody's happy then, funded by general taxation, no water charges!

Public money needs to be spent more efficiently. There should be no need at all to raise taxes.

uck51js9zml2yt

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

The UK is talking about water restrictions too btw.

We need to be able to store more water in the first place. We are not a densely populated country, we are also a frequently rained on country, we should be able to collect enough water to last us forever with a small bit of planning.

Maybe we could turn Leitrim into a big reservoir.
Not many people living there to inconvenience.

Daisy78

nthclare wrote: »

We're paying for water for year's,
Tax payers money went to the local county council's to help manage the water system.

So there's no point in paying on the double.

Yup. And it wasn't half enough. That's the problem. People seem to have no idea about much large scale infrastructural projects cost to build.

Daisy78

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

Public money needs to be spent more efficiently. There should be no need at all to raise taxes.

Why so? Have you any good ideas about how we can increase investment into water infrastructure without raising taxes?