Clonard residents fight for a solution to water supply problems

Frustrated residents of two housing estates in Clonard who regularly find themselves with no water in their taps have formed a residents' water action group to fight for a long term solution for the area.

Meadowview Estate is approximately 40 years old, while Abbeyfields is about 30 years old yet a satisfactory water supply is still not in place to serve the 150 houses.

Now, fed up residents have now formed ‘Clonard Residents Water Action Group,’ to put pressure on Uisce Eireann to upgrade the water infrastructure to provide a reliable water supply.

Residents say they are regularly left without water for hours and sometimes days at a time. “Homes in our area are facing such a significant escalation in our water supply and quality problems that we are now left with no water for two or three days per week,” explained Vijay Gangarh, a member of the action group.

“Despite numerous attempts to reach out to Uisce Éireann over this issue, we have yet to receive a satisfactory response. We have formed a community action group in the hopes of drawing attention to the plight of householders in the area due to the water supply issues in Abbeyfields and Meadowview estates,” he said.

“We find it incomprehensible that after all these years, we are still utterly reliant on an outdated water supply infrastructure, one which is undeniably unfit for purpose. We demand to know what plans Uisce Éireann have to provide a long-term, functioning water supply system to our homes.”

The latest issue has seen residents with just a trickle in their taps after it their water went yesterday and it is coming and going since as residents wait for a temporary fix to be carried out by Meath County Council or Uisce Eireann.

Residents also say there is a lack of clarity regarding how water is provided to their homes and say they have been led to believe that their water supply is connected to a well in Meadowview, which in turn is connected to a pumphouse in Abbeyfields.

However, residents were informed that the well at Meadowview collapsed in 2023. “This collapse has exacerbated the already frequent failures of the pump in Abbeyfields. These failures now occur at least twice weekly, leaving homes without water for hours on end, sometimes even overnight and during peak times,” said Vijay.

They are questioning what exactly is the cause of such frequent pump failures in Abbeyfields and they have asked Uisce Éireann to give them complete assurance as to the quality of the water being supplied to their homes.

“According to Uisce Éireann’s own Drinking Water Quality Results, the water supply has not failed a drinking water test since 2018. However, anecdotally, residents have spoken of discoloured and foul-smelling water, especially during summer months, “ said Vijay.

“Currently, water is being tankered in at least twice daily to the pumphouse in Abbeyfields, ostensibly because the pump cannot meet the needs of the estate. We often have five or more tankers arriving here throughout the day. We can no longer tolerate the lack of supply. A reliable and dependable water supply is a basic necessity.

“We cannot meet our families’ basic needs such as cooking, showering, etc, with such frequency that it is causing us real hardship and distress, not to mention the economic cost of having to buy replacement water. Imagine this scenario in your home daily – choosing between washing yourself or your children, or washing clothes, or even flushing toilets – all because you are worried about the water levels in the tank in your attic – and that in addition to no water available in your home to give your toddler a drink or cook your dinner. This is our daily reality in Ireland of 2025.”

A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said the area is served by the Abbeyfields Public Water Scheme in Clonard and said essential maintenance was carried out on the scheme last week and there was some disruption to supply and that tankering took place to maintain water supply for residents for the duration of the works.

It is understood there are no long term solutions in the pipeline from Uisce Éireann to deal with the situation at present.