Irish Water is urging businesses that have closed for the COVID-19 outbreak to turn off non-essential water systems in a bid to conserve supplies.
Businesses with water systems, such as automatic flushing urinals, are being asked to turn them off if they not going to be in use for a period of time.
The request is part of a call to all customers to play their part and help maintain vital water and wastewater services by conserving water where possible.
Due to the increase use of antiseptic wipes, the public is also being asked to dispose of wipes in a bin as the flushing of wipes can cause blockages on the network.
The Irish Water Crisis Management Team has been meeting over the past number of weeks to prepare for and deal with any issues arising from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The water utility company said their aim is to ensure the safety and well-being of staff and to secure the consistent quality and supply of drinking water and to maintain wastewater services on the public network.
Business Continuity teams in Irish Water will continue to convene regularly and will refresh and adapt contingency plans in line with the evolving situation.
Irish Water is in regular contact with Local Authorities and other partners to ensure that:
- Staff welfare is protected;
- Sufficient chemicals for water and wastewater treatment are and will continue to be available;
- Plans for remote working and reduced staffing are in place and tested;
- Service is maintained at our customer contact centre;
- Appropriate Personal Protection Equipment is available, and;
- That plans are in place to ensure that essential services can be maintained if an area should be restricted or critical staff are unavailable.
Irish Water is also appealing to the public to check for and report leaks to 1850 278 278.
Speaking about the evolving situation, the MD of Irish Water Niall Gleeson said: “Irish Water’s absolute priority is the safety and well-being of our staff and the maintenance of water and wastewater services. As the situation evolves our plans will be amended and adapted to meet all of the emerging challenges. We are confident that we have the capacity and capability to maintain critical services for the country. I would like to thank our staff and our local authority partners who have shown great leadership and flexibility in the face of this crisis.”
