Increased costs for the Shannon – Dublin pipeline are no surprise according to those opposed to the project which is aimed at bolstering the capitals water supply.
The Fight the Pipe group have been vocal in their opposition to plans to bring over 300 million litres of water each day through 170 kilometres of pipes from the Parteen Basin to supply Dublin.
Liam Minihan is one of the main movers behind the campaign to stop the project going ahead.
Speaking on Tipp Today he said the near doubling in the estimated costs doesn’t come as any great surprise.
“Not one bit – this started in 2011 with a cost of €750 million. In 2018 it went to €1.3 billion and no one in 2018 believed that the target was going to be met.”
“This has all the evidence of being a runaway train and the worse part of it is it’s not necessary.”
Landowners in Tipperary and along the proposed route have been strongly opposed to the proposals.
Liam Minihan says he has had no consultation on the project of late.
“Nobody has approached me in a long, long time. I can’t see this happening but there is a gravy train rolling on and somebody needs to call a halt to it.”
“Somebody just needs to wake up politically and say ‘lads come on we have a problem in Dublin, lets solve it.’ Don’t be going from one vulnerable source to another – fix the mistakes, fix the problems. Be imaginative – there are ways of mending pipes without digging up streets – they won’t embrace them in Dublin though.”
