CLEAN, safe water is not a luxury but a basic right, a Cork Senator has said after yet another boil water notice was lifted in Macroom, writes Kieran O’Mahony.

It was the eighth issued since 2022 – with some notices in place for weeks and months on end.

Speaking in the Seanad last week, SF Senator Nicole Ryan raised the ongoing issue with the town’s water supply pointing out that the people in Macroom deserve better than ‘repeated notices, extra costs and empty reassurances’.

‘Every couple of weeks the story repeats itself. The boil water notice goes in and families and businesses are massively disrupted. People are left with added expenses, worry and uncertainty about something as basic as clean, safe water,’ she said.

‘The cost of water is not cheap, yet people are paying for it daily and weekly because they fear the tap water they have. This is more than an inconvenience and it undermines trust in public services where it hits people’s pockets.’

Sen Ryan added that Macroom is a growing town with new housing developments and businesses and infrastructure is ‘not keeping up with the pace’.

‘They deserve a concrete plan with clear timelines and a guarantee that this pattern will not continue into 2026 and beyond,’ she said.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Government and Heritage John Cummins said a €6.5m upgrade of the plant has commenced and works are due to be completed next summer.