Surrounded by water – but Aran’s drinking supply is running out

Surrounded by the wild Atlantic they may be, but a water crisis is looming on two of islands off the Galway coast at the height of the tourist season – and there is no resolution in sight.

The water tables have dropped dramatically on Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr to the extent that there are no more than two or three weeks of drinking water left. The islanders have made an urgent plea to Galway County Council for tankers of water to be provided to them as a matter of urgency.

But the crisis is further complicated because Galway County Council is no longer the water authority. This is now a matter for Irish Water, which has been contacted but has yet to tackle the growing emergency.

Such is the shortage of water that the supply has been cut off on Inis Meáin between 12 noon and 3pm each day.

The matter was highlighted by Cllr Sean Ó Tuairisg at this week’s meeting of Galway County Council when he said that those living on the two islands were extremely worried.

He explained that in times past when there was a very low water table, the County Council used to ferry out tankers of fresh water to the islands affected.

Cllr Ó Tuairisg asked who was now responsible for this crisis situation because the islanders had no one to turn to.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.