Number of Properties Without Water Now Under 1000

02 January 2011 17:45

NI WATER PRESS STATEMENT


The number of properties without water across the North now stands at under 1,000, NI Water has reported. This represents a considerable reduction from the 2,600 reported at this time yesterday. The main areas affected are parts of Cookstown, Dungannon, Newry and Warrenpoint.

There remains a considerable demand for water arising from leaks on customers’ private installations. Throughout this incident, NI Water has consistently re-iterated the need for customers to check their premises for any damage to their own private infrastructure and to repair this as soon as possible. Failure to do so simply adds to the water supply problems for other customers.

We would also appeal to the public to refrain from using garden hoses and from washing cars.

Some 500 staff have been working over the New Year period dealing with those properties experiencing a loss of supply. NI Water is contacting customers in the affected areas in order to keep them advised of the actions being taken to restore their water supply.

The focus is on:

- isolating the water supply to customers in instances where leakage has been detected on the customers’ private infrastructure. This is being done to reduce the near 40% additional water, compared to normal levels, being wasted through leakage.

- continuing to repair bursts on the main water supply system which are impacting on reservoir levels and;

- dealing with air locks in the water system.

It is expected that water supplies will continue to be constrained for a limited period tonight. This constraint will affect no more than 45,000 properties across the East. This represents a significant reduction compared to the 60,000 properties constrained last night. The customers who have their supply constrained tonight, will have had access to mains water in the preceding twelve hours. The reason NI Water constrains supplies at night, as opposed to during the day, is to minimise inconvenience to customers.

Reservoir levels in the greater Belfast area remain low. The focus is on continuing to build up water supplies in the Belfast reservoirs ahead of Tuesday’s return to work.

With schools due to return this week and next, NI Water is liaising closely with the Department of Education and local Education and Library Boards. We are confident there will be very few, if any, schools affected due to interruptions on the main water supply system. However, many schools will have suffered damage to their internal infrastructure and we understand these are currently being located and repaired.

Full details are available on our website www.niwater.com