National hosepipe ban comes into force on Friday amid drought fears

A national hosepipe ban is to come into effect from Friday for the whole of the State. All 26 counties will be affected by the ban. A water-conservation order introduced last week is currently only in operation in the greater Dublin area, parts of Kildare, Meath, Wexford, Wicklow and south Tipperary. The hosepipe ban comes into force from a minute past midnight on Friday morning and will last until August 26th. It means householders will not be able to water their gardens or wash their cars with a hosepipe. Filling up or maintaining a domestic swimming pool will also not be permitted. The use of water in hand-held containers is allowed.READ MOREThe ban is coming into effect despite Met Éireann forecasting much-needed rain over the coming days and into the weekend. The weekend is forecast to be changeable, with the possibility of outbreaks of rain everywhere. However, Uisce Éireann said any rain that does fall will not compensate for the long periods of drought or near-drought that have been experienced across the country in recent weeks. Soil-moisture deficits, which are a good indicator of drought, have reached more than 80mm in the south-east. The 80mm value is the amount of rain that would need to fall to restore soil moisture levels to average. Uisce Éireann says the recent hot weather has driven “exceptionally high demand . . . intensifying pressure on water sources and treated drinking-water supplies”. It warned that several groundwater sources are now showing signs of stress, with reduced or no yields being experienced in a number of areas. In other areas, such as parts of the greater Dublin area and popular visitor destinations around the coast, supplies remain under pressure due to high water usage, which often outstrips production capacity.Mairéad Conlon, Uisce Éireann’s asset strategy senior manager, said there had been a good response in Dublin to an order to preserve water. “We are asking everyone to use only what they need and to avoid any non-essential water use until conditions improve,” she said. “Every drop counts. Continued support from the public will help reduce pressure on supplies and keep water available for essential daily needs.”The order does not apply to those who source their water privately.