Councillor calls for immediate action to protect Derry's water resources

Derry and Strabane Councillor Shaun Harkin has given his support to the March for Clean Water, taking place at 2pm on November 3, in Belfast.

The march which is being organised by Save Lough Neagh, coincides with a March For Clean Water in London and aims to highlight the ongoing environmental emergency in Lough Neagh and other waterways and the role government has played in what organisers and supporters are calling an "ecocide".

Harkin says immediate action is needed to protect Derry's water resources, he said: "Pollution of Lough Neagh, Mobuoy and all waterways puts our health and future at severe risk. We need urgent investment in water and sewage infrastructure."

The councillor highlighted that Lough Neagh is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, and is responsible for 40% of drinking water across Ireland. The lake has been subjected to over 2,000 pollution incidents in the past seven years. 

Harkin said: "The presence of blue-green algae, a potentially toxic substance, threatens both the ecosystem and the livelihoods of those who depend on the lake.

"Stormont has prioritised the interests of huge polluters like Moy Park. Moy Park recently reported record profits, despite the litany of environmental breaches and questions surrounding tax."

He continued: "This negligence has exacerbated the pollution crisis in and around Lough Neagh."

The councillor also stated that Stormont has "not just failed to address the crisis, but actively contributed to the poisoning of our waterways with schemes like Going For Growth incentivising pollution and the greenlighting of destructive industrial dredging."

He called out Minister Muir’s action plan and said that the plan does not address the core issue, being that polluters must be held responsible, he pointed out Mobuoy dump as an example saying that it represents one of the most significant environmental threats in all of Ireland.

"This illegal dump, containing over a million tonnes of waste, poses a severe risk to the River Faughan, which supplies a significant portion of Derry’s drinking water."

Despite millions being spent on managing the site, the long-term safety and remediation plans remain uncertain. Parties who agreed to a public inquiry into how Mobuoy happened have yet to show any indication of implementing such plans. 

NI Water admitted to dumping millions of tonnes of untreated sewage into waterways, including more than 1 million tonnes between the two bridges in Derry. 

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Shaun Harkin concluded: "This is the result of decades of Stormont cuts and government policies putting profiteering ahead of all other concerns. On Sunday we will be marching to demand a properly funded in-house water service that we can trust.

"Clean water is a human right. What is happening at Lough Neagh, Mobuoy and our waterways puts our ecosystem under serious threat. We must fight now to save the future."