An alliance to alert the people of Limerick to new proposals by Dublin City Council to extract water from the river Shannon at Lough Derg at high volumes and to pipe it directly to Dublin, has been formed.
The new Limerick branch of the ‘Shannon Protection Alliance’ has been established to warn people and stakeholders in Limerick and environs, the damage the proposal could do to the region.
‘Water would be extracted at a rate of upwards of 500 million litres per day. This equates roughly to the amount of water which currently leaks from the Dublin water delivery system.’
The group believes that if the proposal were to gain approval it would “signal the beginning of the plunder of Ireland’s finest waterway”, have serious consequences for the life of the river and upset the balance and natural order in the water.
Limerick SPA branch spokesman, Gerry Siney says that if abstraction were allowed to proceed, a precedent would be set and it would be just the thin “edge of the wedge,”
“Demand would grow exponentially, and opportunist extractors would emerge to put even more pressure on the river, and in time the Shannon would go the way of an increasing number of rivers around the world that have been disastrously compromised, many beyond recovery.”
In the coming weeks and months the SPA say they will engage in an active campaign of awareness including holding public meetings on the matter.
“The people have a right to know what others are planning for them, and are entitled to have their say,” the alliance said.
I’m sure Dublin City Council won’t have any objection from Belfast should they wish to take water from the Lagan, after all it wasn’t long ago that the Dublin Establishment handed Shannon’s Heathrow slots to Belfast.
But rather than steal water from the Shannon or the Lagan wouldn’t it be much better if Dublin City Councillors used their brass necks to fix their lead and copper pipes!
Anthony
If you believe that we must protect the river Shannon and that it is not for sale say “No to Dublin” and join us in protecting the Shannon Catchment Area.Contact us at
fordebren@gmail.com
Trish Forde-Brennan
Limerick Branch,Shannon Protection Alliance