Families forced to buy bottled water and unable to flush toilets as Dunboyne supply falters
Families in Dunboyne are facing severe and ongoing water shortages, with some households unable to flush toilets or use basic appliances over the Christmas period, according to a Meath TD.
Sinn Féin TD, Darren O’Rourke, has called for “urgent intervention” by the Government and Uisce Éireann, warning that the situation has gone “beyond a crisis point” and is having serious implications for public health and basic living standards.
Mr O’Rourke said he has been contacted by residents in a number of areas, including Kilbreena, Millfarm and estates along the Summerhill Road, who have experienced prolonged low pressure or complete loss of water supply.
“Families are being forced to buy bottled water to maintain basic sanitation,” he said.
“Many have been unable to flush toilets regularly or use washing machines and dishwashers over the entire Christmas period. This is not a minor inconvenience – it is a profound failure that is impacting people’s hygiene, health and basic dignity.”
The TD said he has raised concerns about Dunboyne’s “deteriorating water infrastructure” on multiple occasions.
“The responses have been entirely inadequate,” he said. “I receive vague references to long-term projects ‘in design stages’ with ‘no definite timelines for construction’. Meanwhile, people cannot take a shower or carry out basic household tasks.”
In correspondence received by Mr O’Rourke, Uisce Éireann confirmed that two projects are currently in design stages for the Dunboyne area. These include a Growth and Development project near the M3 Parkway and a developer-led upgrade to the existing water supply network.
The utility said the projects are intended to cater for future development and improve existing low-pressure issues, but acknowledged that there are “no definite timelines for construction available”.
Mr O’Rourke said the response was “an insult to the people enduring this daily hardship”.
“Telling a family who has had no water since Christmas that future projects will eventually address the problem offers zero solace and zero solution today,” he said.
The TD is now calling for “immediate and direct” intervention from Uisce Éireann and the Minister, saying the people of Dunboyne “deserve a reliable water service”.
“That should not be too much to expect in 2026,” he added.