Two primary schools in the Farranfore-Firies area have had to send students home for the second time this month due to a burst water main.
The Tralee to Farranfore Road which was also closed to traffic has now been reopened.
Firies and Knockaderry National Schools were forced to send students home from school early today following a burst water main at Farranfore.
The schools did not have enough water in their tanks to flush toilets and allow children to wash their hands in compliance with public health guidelines on COVID-19.
This is the second time this month that a burst water main in the area has forced the schools to close.
Kerry County Councillor Michael O’Shea said this is an ongoing issue for businesses and families in the area.
He said while, Irish Water has committed to investing around €60 million in upgrading water pipes in Kerry by 2024, in the meantime local Irish Water crews should be given the authority to repair sections of water pipe they know to be vulnerable.
Kerry TD Danny Healy Rae raised the issue during Leader’s questions in the Dáil last week.
Deputy Healy Rae said residents in mid Kerry are faced with a constant barrage of water outages day after day. He said the much of the pipe network is obsolete and contains asbestos. He said it needs to be replaced.
The Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said he appreciates that we need to invest more in our water network, but he said Irish Water is a state agency which has to compete with the health service, education, and justice for capital funding.
