James McDaid
Question:68 Dr. McDaid asked the Minister for the Environment whether asbestos piping is used by local authorities in Ireland as a water mains; and if so, the total length of piping used. [10145/97]
Written Answers. - Water Piping.
Asbestos cement piping — to the specifications defined in Irish Standard 188 which requires, inter alia, bitumen lining and coating — is used by local authorities for water mains. This type of piping is widely used internationally for water mains and is a well established and accepted piping material for this purpose. While no statistics are available in my Department as to the length of this piping used nationally, the report of the greater Dublin water supply strategic study shows that asbestos cement piping accounts for more than 11 per cent or 656,000 metres, of water mains in the greater Dublin region.