Do hosepipe bans actually work?
Ireland is facing hosepipe bans due to water storage and distribution challenges despite the country's high annual rainfall. Experts point to a fragmented water infrastructure and the impact of climate change as primary drivers for current water scarcity.
Why it matters
Understanding the intersection of infrastructure, climate change, and resource management is critical for public policy and environmental sustainability.
THE WHOLE COUNTRY is now under a hosepipe ban , which will last for just under six weeks.
Yet Ireland is normally a very wet country, with an average of 700mm to 1,400mm of rain falling every year.
So what has happened to all of this water, and how come we can no longer do things like fill up our paddling pools and water our gardens with a hosepipe?
The problem lies in how Ireland stores its water, combined with the extended dry spell.
The majority of Ireland’s drinking water comes from surface water sources, which include rivers, lakes and ponds. Some comes from groundwater too, such as reservoirs.
Water levels have dropped on the Blessington Reservoir (Lakes) in Co Wicklow. Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie
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