Irish Water: Two words that will strike terror into the heart of any politician in Ireland for years to come.
After spawning a headless monster, the entity has become a major thorn in the government’s side, sucking out its credibility and sustainability like a hungry eel.
Amidst all the chaos and confusion of Enda Kenny’s forced resurgence as Taoiseach, few noticed the fact that the Minister for the Environment is no more, thus leaving Irish Water in a nether zone in between.
The company’s devoted servant, Alan Kelly, had some acerbic remarks for those who have hung him out to dry: “Above all, I object to the blatant betrayal by my former colleagues of those who did their legal and civic duty and paid their water bills as well as their treasonable betrayal, along with those in Fianna Fáil, of the long-term national interest of delivering a modern water infrastructure that is fit for purpose, rather than pumping hundreds of tonnes of raw sewage into our rivers and seas on a daily basis.”
It is understood that the former Department of the Environment will now be split into three new entities, namely:
Housing, Planning and Local Government, under Minister Simon Coveney
Communications, Climate Change and Natural Resources, under Minister Denis Naughten
Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht, under Minister Heather Humphreys
Irish Water will fall under the guidance of ‘Housing’, which means that Minister Simon Coveney will inherit the caretaking duties for the Irish Water monstrosity.