Dr Conor Murphy, climate change expert and hydrologist, outlined his fears to the annual Engineers Ireland Conference in Limerick.
He said: “Although Ireland is assumed to be wealthy in terms of water resources, there are substantial regional differences in the availability of water per head of population, with large parts of the east coast already coming under pressure to meet water demand.”
Dr Murphy said that climate change is having a major effect on Irish water resources and a 40% reduction in water availability is now a legitimate possibility.
He added that every facet of Irish life would be affected by changes in quantity and quality of the water resources, including agriculture, construction and tourism.
Conservationists have warned that a diverse range of wildlife will be affected by flooding and coastal erosion the next 100 years along UK and Ireland’s coastlines, the Guardian reported.