Uisce Éireann has introduced a six-week hosepipe ban across six regions to safeguard water supplies amid ongoing dry conditions.
The restrictions apply to Dublin, south Tipperary, and parts of Kildare, Meath, Wexford, and Wicklow. They were introduced because of the exceptionally warm and dry weather.
The ban takes effect shortly after midnight on Thursday and is scheduled to last until 26 August.
This comes as Met Éireann forecasts that the current high temperatures will continue into next week.
Uisce Éireann is calling on people to cut back on non-essential water use to ensure supplies remain available for homes, hospitals, vulnerable customers, and essential services.
Under the ban, activities including watering gardens, washing vehicles, and filling paddling pools are prohibited to help conserve water.
The restrictions could be lifted earlier if conditions improve or extended if the dry spell persists. Additional bans are also under consideration for other parts of the country.
Night-time restrictions are already in place on 39 water supplies, mainly affecting areas in Donegal, Cavan, Longford, Meath, Galway, Laois, Tipperary, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenny, and Wexford.
Recent warm weather has caused a sharp rise in water demand across the affected regions, placing sustained pressure on treatment plants, reservoirs, and the distribution network.
Domestic water use is running about 20 percent above normal levels. In the Greater Dublin Area, daily consumption recently hit 693 million litres, roughly 50 million litres above the year-to-date average. Supplies in Wexford and south Tipperary are also under strain.
Uisce Éireann is urging customers nationwide to reuse household water for gardens, check for leaks, and take shorter showers.
Head of Water Operations Margaret Attridge said Uisce Éireann’s main priority is protecting supplies for homes, businesses, farms, hospitals, vulnerable customers, and essential services. The current hot and dry period has caused very high water demand, so reducing non-essential use is necessary to maintain supplies for everyone. She emphasised the importance of reserving treated drinking water for critical needs such as hospitals, vulnerable customers, farms, businesses, and essential services.
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