DEAR SIR: I am surprised that Irish Water is using the current drought to push its agenda for a pipeline from Shannon to Dublin that is not needed if the leaks in Dublin are fixed.

The county councils managed the water networks for years without as much fuss as Irish Water makes.

Does Irish Water not realise that the water level in the River Shannon will have dropped as well during the drought, making extraction impossible from the Shannon during times of drought.

Irish Water seems to be very determined to get its hands on the River Shannon. Fixing the leaks in the water network is the solution as it has been reported that almost half of water is wasted through leaks. Farm organisations should question Irish Water on the need for this project.