The Green Party is calling on the government to invest in water services throughout Ireland.

The party made the call after the Govt approved a referendum to ensure the public ownership of water services.

Senator Grace O'Sullivan said: "It's long past time that Fine Gael recognised the legitimate fears of privatisation of our water services that the Irish public have. We welcome the approval by cabinet this morning for a referendum to ensure the public ownership of our water services.

-- Advertisement --

"Our water services need serious investment. The number of river locations with pure clean water has fallen from 500 sites in the late 1980s to only 21 locations today, according to a recent EPA report. Raw sewage is still being discharged into the environment at dozens of locations around the country. This needs to change, and to do that, investment in water services and environmental protection needs to be taken seriously."

(CD/MH)