Claim that dirty Dunmanway water had ‘made baby sick'

A DOCTOR in Dunmanway was called out at night to attend a newborn baby made sick by dirty water.

The claim was made Cllr Declan Hurley (Ind) who said the problem was caused by a private contractor who had accessed a nearby water hydrant and disturbed sediment in the pipes. The councillor complained that it caused drinking water to be discoloured and that quite a few people in the area felt sick after drinking the water. 

Cllr Hurley tabled a motion calling on Irish Water and Cork County Council to designate certain water hydrants in towns and villages for private companies and contractors to use.

He complained that there is ‘a breakdown in communication between Irish Water and these contractors’ and said he had personally contacted Irish Water to convey the annoyance of the residents.

Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said he had also been contacted by residents who were angry that their drinking water was ‘unfit for consumption.’ 

Area engineer Michael Tobin agreed that private contractors should not take water off the system in the manner described by the councillors. 

He said: ‘They should use a metered hydrant and confer with the local water services section. They shouldn’t just pull up wherever they want.’

Cllr John O’Sullivan (FG) said the issue could be resolved by making it a condition of the procurement provisions of any contract.

The councillors agreed to write to Irish Water to inform them of the recent problem and the fact that it caused some Dunmanway residents to feel unwell.