Irish Water have completed intermediary works that aim to relieve ongoing water shortages in the Cloughaneely area.
In May, councillors were told that Irish Water were committed to delivering water improvement works in Falcarragh and financial approval has been given to progress this through the National Leakage Reduction Programme.
This programme is being delivered across Donegal and the rest of the country to replace pipes and repair leaks, targeting and prioritising investment where it is most needed.
A local meeting in Falcarragh on Friday, with Irish Water representatives present, it was revealed that two hydrants had been installed to provide water to Gortahork and Falcarragh in the even that the main pipe at the local reservoir bursts again.
However, local county councillor Micheal Mac Giolla Easbuig said a major overhaul was required to halt the water outages permanently across the region.
He said: “There are several areas outside of Falcarragh and Gortahork that needs replacement pipes, like the church up until Falcarragh town, I have raised that specific area many of times, and it needs replacing.
“The old cast iron pipeline in all of these areas needs replacing because what is happening is that they are starting to burst and they are corroding.
“Then we have the issue of Curransport, which isn’t far from Gotahork, there are consistent water bursts in that area and we as a council are putting a surface down there for the pier next year.
“But there is no point putting a new road down, if Irish Water has to come back every couple of weeks to fix bursts religiously, ripping up the road up, there is no point.
Cllr Micheal Mac Giolla Easbuig said Irish Water need to carry out a major overhaul of the water infrastructure in west Donegal
He continued: “I have been in contact with Irish Water for a long time in order to get the new water infrastructure there before we lay a new road.
“What needs to happen, and it is a big ask, but the people of west Donegal deserve it and that is for Irish Water to carry out the installation of new water infrastructure across the entire area,” he said.
“They are more than aware of all the upgrading to the water infrastructure in west Donegal,” he said. “Instead of giving us money for a few kilometres here and there, they need to invest and invest heavily.
“For me, the ideal situation would be that Irish Water would start employing staff directly and putting them to work immediately, instead of putting it through the whole tendering process for other contractors, which continues to be delayed.
“That means in turn that we can put a proper infrastructure in place, instead of a bit here and a bit there.”
