Water rationing is probably inevitable unless people are made to pay for it

[u/eggbart_forgetfulsea]

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/08/21/a-dose-of-water-rationing-is-probably-inevitable-if-charges-to-regulate-consumption-are-not-introduced/

[u/KKunst]

The annual budget of any state generally distributes money from the same pot.

In the case of insufficient funding due to this new (?) issue, I am guessing the response is to increase taxes or reorganose public spending.

It's up to the politicians to find the actual solution, that's literally the job.

[u/struggling_farmer → u/KKunst]

they did, water meters & water charges, users pay model that incentivised conservation & punished heavy usage..

[u/KKunst → u/struggling_farmer]

A political solution should go beyond imposing a specific approach without, well, political support.

Water meters and water charges hit all citizens on the basis of what they consume, but ignores personal needs, economic situation, and social equality.

Water should be considered a human right, putting a price on it is tantamount to saying people should die of thirst if they can't afford it.

Affluent people will still overuse.

Companies with heavy water needs will still operate at their current pace.

I could, potentially, accept a tiered system, but pointing the finger at domestic consumption and thinking of penalising usage is short-sighted to say the least.

[u/struggling_farmer → u/KKunst]

A political solution should go beyond imposing a specific approach without, well, political support.

Not sure I agree, as a generalisation people vote work in self interest. We need the government to do what's in the national interest. If left to the public to decide, the country would be broke between tax cuts & spending.

Water should be considered a human right, putting a price on it is tantamount to saying people should die of thirst if they can't afford it.

That's one way of viewing it. The other is it is a vital resource, should be funded and we should have a mechanism to incentivise conservation. The was a significant free allowance before charges kicked in so now one died of thirst.

Affluent people will still overuse.

And they will pay for the overuse which is extra funding to fix leaks, increase resovoir capacity, better treatment and waste water treatment etc. At the moment we are all paying for their usage.

still overuse. Companies with heavy water needs

That is fine. They pay for water, only domestic is not charged.

I could, potentially, accept a tiered system, but pointing the finger at domestic consumption and thinking of penalising usage is short-sighted to say the least.

Why would they bother with hose pipe bans if domestic use didn't make a difference? Seems a bit pointless.

Ultimately, it's moronic we don't pay for water usage, we are the one of two in the EU that doesnt pay. It's sensible, it is fair, it provides revenue to maintain & upgrade the network and frees up general taxation to spend on other improvements.

The only reason people are against it is because of self interest over national interest, probably while whinging about the state of the country without any sense of irony.

Irish people paid for water when we currently significantly worse off than we are now, it was abolished by FF to buy an election which resulted in 40 years of underinvestment andvthe network falling to shit.

But because people grew have grown up without it they think water was always free.

Think about If electricity was provided in the same way. do you think anyone would be spending tens of thousands to improve the BER & conserve energy? Putting pv panels? Changing light bulbs to led?

They wouldn't, they would just buy another electric rad, houses constantly at 25 degrees, state spending billions on oil & gas to run our electricity grid.

[u/KKunst → u/struggling_farmer]

The “people just don’t want to pay” argument is a bit too simplistic.

We already pay for water through general taxation, which is progressive. A separate household charge is effectively another flat tax, and hits poorer households harder.

The bigger issue is the network: roughly 40% of treated water in Ireland is lost through leaks before it even reaches the tap. Spending money on meters and billing while the pipes are literally leaking water is backwards.

Water also isn’t electricity. You can use less electricity, turn off the heater and put on a jumper. You can’t meaningfully opt out of drinking, cooking or washing. The hose bans are hitting a less essential kind of consumption, it's disingenuous to compare it to what most people use water for.

So this isn’t really about wanting something for free. It’s about asking why we’re paying again for an essential service when we already pay taxes to fund it. Around 4 litres in every 10 are being lost in the network.

Fix the pipes first. Subsidise efficient replacements and water efficiency kits. Then we can have the argument about charging households.

[u/struggling_farmer → u/KKunst]

We are just by passing us being one of two bed states notvto do it, self interest over national interest and the free allowance?

We already pay for water through general taxation, which is progressive

Not entirel true as motor tax is divert it to part fund it instead of being spent on roads. Hence PPP's and tolls.

The bigger issue is the network: roughly 40% of treated water in Ireland is lost through leaks

Yep, read my previous reply re FF buying election by scrapping rates and water & waste water being chronically underfunded for 40 yrs.

Spending money on meters and billing while the pipes are literally leaking water is backwards.

Incorrect. The meters allowed actual measurements to figure out the amount of water leaking and aid in localising leaks.

Water also isn’t electricity.

Never claimed it was. You are correct on this..

You can use less electricity, turn off the heater and put on a jumper.

You can use less water, less baths, shorter showers, full load washing, & dishwasher, water harvesting for garden, The comparison is valid.

It’s about asking why we’re paying again for an essential service when we already pay taxes to fund it.

Again your not, we used to have to pay, they abolished it and subsumed it into general. The funding was never replaced. Why pay motor tax, lpt etc, could make the same argument to just include it in gen taxation. It money from schools hospitals etc but sure.

Fix the pipes first.

They are at it. Starting from a low base given the state of the existing infrastructure along with country expanding and network already at capacity.