NIPSA backs March for Clean Water and calls for urgent action to save Lough Neagh

The event is taking place on Saturday, September 26, 2026.

A spokesperson for NIPSA said the union was encouraging members to take part in the mobilisation to “demand urgent action on the ongoing environmental crisis at Lough Neagh”.

NIPSA's support follows decisions taken at the union's Annual Delegate Conference, where delegates endorsed motions recognising the scale of the environmental crisis facing Lough Neagh and the need for urgent action to secure its recovery.

Lough Neagh provides drinking water for a significant proportion of the population and is a vital environmental, recreational and economic resource. However, recurring toxic algal blooms have highlighted the consequences of environmental neglect, underinvestment in public infrastructure and failures to adequately protect our waterways.

Carmel Gates, NIPSA General Secretary, said: "NIPSA's Annual Delegate Conference made it clear that our union stands firmly behind efforts to protect and restore Lough Neagh. Delegates recognised that the environmental crisis at the lough is also a public health issue, a workers' issue and a community issue.

"Our members work across public services and see first-hand the impact that environmental degradation, underfunding and poor planning can have on communities. The ongoing crisis at Lough Neagh demands urgent, coordinated action from government, public bodies and all stakeholders.

"We welcome the broad coalition being brought together by the Save Lough Neagh campaign to demand meaningful action. We encourage our members to support the March for Clean Water and to stand with all those calling for the protection and restoration of one of Northern Ireland's most important natural assets."

The March for Clean Water will assemble at the gates of Stormont at 2.00pm on Saturday, September 26, 2026.