asked the Minister for the Environment if he is aware that there was no water available on 18 March 1979 at mid-day in Castlefin when a fire gutted a factory premises.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Donegal Water Supply.
10.
I am not so aware. As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the responsibility of sanitary authorities to make such provision as they consider necessary to ensure that a sufficient supply of water is available for fire fighting purposes in their areas. However, I made inquiries of Donegal County Council, the sanitary authority concerned in this case, and their report indicates that they are satisfied that the public water supply is sufficient for ordinary fire fighting in Castlefin having regard to its proximity to the River Finn. The report also indicates that six fire engines attended the fire in question, that two nearby hydrants were used by the first two fire engines attending and that when the third and following fire engines arrived the fire flow was boosted by using water from the River Finn.
Would the Minister further inquire into this matter on the basis of whether the mains to which the hydrants are attached are capable of producing sufficient water for any such eventuality? Perhaps the Minister has that information already. Perhaps the Minister would inquire why, when there are such stringent fire regulations in the granting of planning permissions in Donegal, this situation should have happened so recently. It seems a contradiction of the situation as I know it.
I am not aware of extra stringency in Donegal in regard to fire regulations. With regard to the water supply, on which the Deputy has asked for further information, it is true to say that the water is at times turned off at night to conserve supplies. However, the reservoir at Castlefin was full at the time of the fire. Furthermore, there are immediate proposals to connect with a Northern Ireland supply at the northern end of the regional scheme at Carrigans which is approximately 12 miles from Castlefin. This connection should supplement the supply.
Castlefin, which is well below the level of the lough, would be nearer to Carrigans. What has happened to the scheme and why were the hydrants not capable of delivering more water on the occasion of the fire? Had it anything to do with the water being turned off?
The water should not have been turned off on that occasion because the reservoir was full. As I said, the first two fire engines used the two available hydrants, so two hydrants were available.
It may well be that there are not enough hydrants.
It would seem so because the remaining fire engines had to use the river when they arrived.