|
|
Irish city crippled by water emergency
Anybody planning a trip to West of Ireland?
Irish city crippled by water emergency http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6530721.stm A major water crisis has left scores of people ill and tens of thousands at risk from contamination in a west of Ireland city. Galway's water supply has been hit by an outbreak of the parasite cryptosporidium, with up to 170 people now confirmed to have been hit by a serious stomach bug as a result. The outbreak has severely affected homes and businesses in Ireland's third-biggest city and residents have been warned that the crisis could last for months. Doctors have warned that the parasite could be life threatening, especially to young children, the elderly and people with low immune systems. Parents' concerns Tests found that the city's water supply contained nearly 60 times the safe limit of cryptosporidium pollution. Residents have already been unable to drink or use water for food preparation for weeks and have complained that no free clean water has been made available by the authorities. Parents with young families have also expressed real concerns and demanded action. "It's not right, we shouldn't have to pay for our water when the local supply is polluted," said Galway resident Sarah Doran. "I'm spending up to three euros a day on bottled water. If this goes on for nine months, as we've been told it could, that's going to add up. "People just won't be able to afford it." Galway City Council has told the BBC News website that they have been advised by the health authorities that tankers of free water could create further health problems, by increasing the risk of spreading bacteria. The mayor of Galway, Niall O Brolchain, has called on the Irish government to provide more funding to upgrade water treatment services. However, Irish Environment Minister Dick Roche said that the government had already made 21m euros available for such projects in Galway, but the local council had failed to make use of the money. 'Warning for years' Business leaders have also expressed worries over the impact the crisis will have on what is traditionally the beginning of the tourist season in the west of Ireland. One hotelier said it was costing him up to 2,000 euros a week to provide bottled water for his guests, and he was now being forced to install his own filtration system. However, Galway GP Martin Daly warned that filtration was not the answer. "The newest water treatment plant we have is 40 years old," he said. "People have been warning for years about this. Filtration is not the answer. We need to go to the source of the contamination to solve it." |
Irish city crippled by water emergency
"Tom Bradbury" wrote:
Anybody planning a trip to West of Ireland? Irish city crippled by water emergency http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6530721.stm The story is fairly accurate, the headline is arguably OTT. I would not be put off going to Galway, but would exercise due caution while there. The advice that surprises many people is not to use tap-water for cleaning teeth. Hotels and B&Bs are providing bottled water for that. -- PB The return address has been MUNGED My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/ |
Irish city crippled by water emergency
On Apr 6, 10:19 am, "Tom Bradbury" wrote:
Anybody planning a trip to West ofIreland? Irish city crippled by water emergency A really bizarre headline. I live in Galway and it's more or less life as usual. Make sure to drink bottled water and brush your teeth with bottled water and apart from that carry on as you would anywhere else. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6530721.stm A major water crisis has left scores of people ill and tens of thousands at risk from contamination in a west ofIrelandcity. Galway's water supply has been hit by an outbreak of the parasite cryptosporidium, with up to 170 people now confirmed to have been hit by a serious stomach bug as a result. The outbreak has severely affected homes and businesses inIreland's third-biggest city and residents have been warned that the crisis could last for months. Doctors have warned that the parasite could be life threatening, especially to young children, the elderly and people with low immune systems. Parents' concerns Tests found that the city's water supply contained nearly 60 times the safe limit of cryptosporidium pollution. Residents have already been unable to drink or use water for food preparation for weeks and have complained that no free clean water has been made available by the authorities. Parents with young families have also expressed real concerns and demanded action. "It's not right, we shouldn't have to pay for our water when the local supply is polluted," said Galway resident Sarah Doran. "I'm spending up to three euros a day on bottled water. If this goes on for nine months, as we've been told it could, that's going to add up. "People just won't be able to afford it." Galway City Council has told the BBC News website that they have been advised by the health authorities that tankers of free water could create further health problems, by increasing the risk of spreading bacteria. The mayor of Galway, Niall O Brolchain, has called on the Irish government to provide more funding to upgrade water treatment services. However, Irish Environment Minister Dick Roche said that the government had already made 21m euros available for such projects in Galway, but the local council had failed to make use of the money. 'Warning for years' Business leaders have also expressed worries over the impact the crisis will have on what is traditionally the beginning of the tourist season in the west ofIreland. One hotelier said it was costing him up to 2,000 euros a week to provide bottled water for his guests, and he was now being forced to install his own filtration system. However, Galway GP Martin Daly warned that filtration was not the answer. "The newest water treatment plant we have is 40 years old," he said. "People have been warning for years about this. Filtration is not the answer. We need to go to the source of the contamination to solve it." |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:17 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
TravelBanter.com