People facing ‘desperate situation’ after further disruption to water supply in County Roscommon village
Uisce Éireann is dealing with a water burst main in Cloonfad.
A local councillor has said that people are facing a "desperate situation" and “real hardship” after the latest disruption to the water supply in Cloonfad.
Uisce Éireann confirmed that a burst water main in the village on Thursday morning had impacted on normal water supply, adding that crews were on site carrying out repairs and that every effort was being made to restore supply as quickly and safely as possible.
However, local Fianna Fail councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice said it was clear that the existing water main was becoming more vulnerable by the day and it was continuing to have a major impact on people and families.
He said people were being placed in intolerable circumstances where basic daily needs are becoming increasingly difficult to manage.
"While the work currently under way is very welcome, the reality is that there are still three kilometres of pipeline to be replaced, and these bursts are now happening on a weekly basis.
"I am dealing with calls from vulnerable families, parents and elderly residents who are suffering greatly as a result of these repeated outages.
"I spoke to a woman this morning who explained her situation, caring for elderly parents who depend on a reliable water supply. She asked me: 'What am I supposed to do with them today?' That demonstrates the very real hardship people are facing. It’s a desperate situation,” he said.
Cllr Fitzmaurice urged Uisce Uireann to bring in additional crews to accelerate the installation of the new water main and, if necessary, consider temporary overground piping to help maintain supply and alleviate the hardship being experienced by local residents.
"People have been incredibly patient, but they cannot be expected to continue dealing with weekly disruptions to their water supply. Every effort must now be made to complete these works as quickly as possible,” he said.
Ger Greally, Uisce Éireann’s Water Treatment Operations Manager for County Roscommon, acknowledged that customers had faced a difficult week with supply issues.
“We sincerely regret the additional disruption caused by this burst. Our immediate priority is restoring water supply to affected homes and businesses as soon as possible."
Repairs are expected to be completed this afternoon and water supplies will return gradually over the following hours as the network refills. Customers in higher-lying areas or at the ends of the network may experience a longer wait while the system fully recharges.
While crews work to repair the burst and restore supply to customers today, Uisce Éireann continues to progress a crucial 5km water mains replacement project in Cloonfad aimed at addressing the underlying causes of the recurring bursts and supply disruptions in the area.
Approximately 40 per cent of the project has now been completed, with more than 2km of old and damaged water mains already replaced. These works will help reduce the risk of future outages and deliver a more reliable water supply for the community.
Uisce Éireann said it anticipated that the mains replacement works in Cloonfad would be fully complete in the first quarter of 2027.
