Duleek to Staleen water mains upgrade must be delivered – O’Rourke

Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has called for urgent action to address the ongoing water outages affecting residents and businesses in Duleek, Donore and surrounding areas due to the crumbling water mains between Duleek and Staleen.

He has demanded that Government-supporting TDs in Meath East ensure Uisce Éireann prioritises a water mains upgrade on this section and is adequately funded to do so. In the meantime, he says, Uisce Éireann must be held to account for all-too-regular outages.

Highlighting the significant impact of repeated water outages on the local community, Teachta O'Rourke said;

“Businesses and households are bearing the brunt of these failures. They are an all-too-regular occurrence, with the most recent outage on St. Patrick's Day, just 10 days after the previous outage. This is not just an inconvenience, it is causing real disruption to daily life and economic activity.

"We know there is investment in the Duleek to Navan line and that is welcome, but that is doing nothing to address these outages. The water mains between Duleek and Staleen must be fully upgraded, but there is no commitment at all from government on this. It is clear the 'sticking plaster' approach is not working. The whole length of mains pipeline should be replaced but this is not on the agenda. That has to change.

"I am calling on Government-supporting TDs in Meath East - Deputies McEntee, Byrne and Toole - to take immediate steps to ensure that Uisce Éireann is directed to prioritise this project and fully funded to deliver it without delay. People cannot wait any longer. They are entitled to a reliable and clean water supply.

"In addition, I am calling on the Government to enact Sinn Féin’s Water Services (No.2)(Amendment) Bill 2024 to strengthen oversight of Uisce Éireann. Our bill will be re-introduced to the Dáil in the coming days and would ensure Uisce Éireann properly communicates with and supports households and businesses during water outages. The Government should enact this bill without delay.

"The people of Duleek, Donore and surrounding areas deserve reliable water services. It’s time for action, not excuses."