A new documentary is set to hit TV screens this weekend, shedding light on the challenges facing the public water and wastewater network across Ireland.

'The Story of Water' forms part of an on-going public information programme to help people understand the role that water plays in our daily lives, its value and complex lifecycle, and the process of getting water and wastewater through the public network. It will include insights on the increasing impact of climate change; why in a country like Ireland water conservation is becoming increasingly critical; how rain becomes drinking water and the damage that is caused when people flush inappropriate items; and the work Irish Water is doing to protect the environment, fix the network and support economic development.

Niall Gleeson, Managing Director, Irish Water, said: "The public are telling us that they want to understand more about their water and where it comes from and they have told us that they want us to do a better job of communicating with them. Consumers hear from us when we are managing outages and incidents affecting their water supply and when we have issues with sewage blockages or overflows, but we have never shared the wider story about public water and wastewater services in Ireland, the size and scale of the challenge and the technical expertise required across the industry, including our local authority partners, to deliver clean, safe drinking water for a modern growing economy.

-- Advertisement --

"We know from research that 44% of the Irish public admit they 'know nothing or not very much' about the work carried out by Irish Water. It is our responsibility to close the gap in understanding. Public engagement is an essential part of Irish Water's work. We are on the ground with almost 500 projects, digging up roads and building, repairing and replacing major infrastructure, all of which has a significant impact on local communities. There is massive investment going into water and wastewater infrastructure. It will take time to resolve the challenges and we are making progress."

The Story of Water will include individual, personal stories from all over Ireland, as well as voices from international and local contributors including experts from the water industry, engineers, environmental scientists, ecologists, regular water users, sports people, local authority staff and Irish Water employees and Irish Water's regulators.  

It will air at 7pm on Virgin Media Two, on Sunday 08 December.

(CM/JG)