FERMANAGH has been awash with seasonal sayings this week, from ‘it’s too hot’ to ‘sure where’s nicer when the sun shines.’ There’s another annual phrase about to rejoin the local lexicon, too – hosepipe ban.
As shocking as it is to believe in a country where it feels like it rains around 90 percent of the time, particularly this May when the downpours felt incessant, we can be quite prone to drought at this time of year in Ireland. And with the summer getting off to a dry start in June, and with the mercury maintaining a high spot on the thermometers all this week, there are fears we could soon be in for one.
In fact, night time restrictions have already been put in place in some parts of the South.
At the start of this week Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon called on everyone to use their water wisely, reducing any unnecessary water use, in order to protect supplies for everyone.
“There has been an increase in water usage over the last few weeks with the recent prolonged dry weather,” said Minster Mallon, who pointed to July 15 as an example, when householders across the North used 120 million litres more water than normal.
“With further good weather forecast and the fact we are only in mid-July, we need to act now to protect water levels and prevent interruptions to supply or low pressure,” she said.
“There are many small, simple steps that all of us can make to use our water wisely. Over the past year and a half, the need for our precious water supplies has never been more evident in terms of our public health.
“Every small change can make a big difference when we work together to protect our water supplies – how we use our water can have a massive impact on water levels.”
Minister Mallon pointed out a hose, for example, used more water in one hour than an average family would in a whole day. Pressure washers and home swimming pools also use massive amounts of water.
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