By Róise Collins
RESIDENTS of West Donegal are grappling with yet another round of water outages and a local councillor has expressed his growing frustration over what he says is Uisce Éireann’s lack of communication with those impacted.
The Donegal News recently reported that households in Falcarragh and Gortahork had been struggling with severe water shortages, with some residents and farmers going without water for days.
Since then, households from Creeslough to Crolly have also experienced significant water outages due to burst water mains.
Independent Councillor Michael McClafferty has been at the forefront of efforts to address the persistent problems.
He is now making a call for immediate action over water outages in his constituency.
He stressed that the issue is no longer just about water outages, but a lack of accountability from Uisce Éireann, who he says are refusing to engage with those directly impacted.
He said his countless attempts to secure a meeting with Uisce Éireann have been repeatedly blocked.
“I’ve requested meetings time and time again, but so far, all of my efforts have been unsuccessful,” Cllr McClafferty said.
Cllr McClafferty has also claimed that crews deployed in the area have been instructed not to engage with him or other councillors from the Glenties MD about the outages.
He said this has only caused further frustration.
Cllr McClafferty has vowed to continue his fight for better communication from the water provider.
He has also announced plans to launch a weekly email campaign, demanding a meeting with Uisce Éireann every week until they agree to sit down and address the concerns of the community.
In a recent response to the Donegal News, an Uisce Éireann spokesperson explained that the organisation is currently conducting workshops with local authorities across the country.
Once these workshops are complete, they will review all feedback and consider improvements to how direct communication with councillors will be handled.
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