Potential water stress in Ireland

Engineers Ireland: Climate expert and hydrologist Dr Conor Murphy has warned that there could be severe implications for our economy and society as a whole if we do not address the effects climate change is having on our water supply. He was speaking at the annual Engineers Ireland Conference in Limerick.

Dr Murphy, who is a lecturer at University College Maynooth and acted as a national reviewer for the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said there is little doubt climate change is now having a large impact on our water resources. “A reliable water supply is something we take for granted but all the indications are now that we can no longer assume the availability of water to meet future demand.”

Dr Murphy said: ”Although Ireland is assumed to be wealthy in terms of water resources, there are substantial regional differences in the availability of water per head of population, with large parts of the east coast already coming under pressure to meet water demand. A 40% reduction in water availability is a legitimate possibility.”…

Ireland seen from space, NASA/JPL, Wikimedia Commons