Tipperary community voice anger as repeated water outages spark fresh calls for action
Councillor Jim Ryan says failures by Uisce Éireann leave communities facing constant disruption
Residents in the Slieveardagh region are once again facing prolonged water shortages, a situation that local representatives say has become an entrenched and deeply frustrating part of daily life.
According to Thurles councillor Jim Ryan, communities in this part of Tipperary have been repeatedly let down by Uisce Éireann, with this week’s outage only the latest in a long history of failures.
Water supplies have been disrupted since Monday for many households and businesses in Slieveardagh, Killenaule, Gortnahoe and Ballysloe.
Councillor Ryan argues that the persistence of these problems shows a system that has been allowed to deteriorate for far too long. He says residents now expect decisive intervention from national authorities.
“I’m calling on Irish Water and the Government to treat as an emergency the unacceptable water situation in the Slieveardagh, Killenaule, Gortnahoe, Ballysloe areas of Tipperary,” he said.
“Water outages occur on a weekly basis and currently as I speak there is no water in these areas since Monday because of continuous burst water mains. Its just not good enough. This has been going on for nearly 20 years in these areas.”
For Councillor Ryan, the recurring bursts are evidence of a network that can no longer meet the basic needs of the population it serves.
He insists that the time has come for substantial investment in the infrastructure so that residents can rely on a stable water service rather than brace themselves for the next disruption.
“People out there have had enough of it. They are completely frustrated. They’re being treated like third world citizens with no water more times than they have water,” he said.
He pointed out that the knock on effects of these outages reach far beyond simple inconvenience. “It’s just not good enough that people can’t flush toilets, cannot have showers, cannot cook, cannot turn on their heating systems. Schools have to make decisions whether to close.”
He argues that the continued strain on families, businesses and public services has turned what should be a routine utility issue into something far more severe. In his view, the situation has escalated to the point where it now warrants urgent and immediate action.
“This cannot go on any further a crisis situation now for people up there. I think enough is enough at this stage. Work has to happen; investment has to happen and this continuous outages of water has to stop.”
For many living in the affected areas, this week’s disruption has reinforced a sense that long standing problems are being allowed to persist without a clear plan for long term improvement.
Councillor Ryan says the community should not be expected to endure further delays and that resolving the issue must now be treated as a priority by those with the authority to act.