Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Irish Water representatives. We are dealing with the matters of fresh water and wastewater; both are pertinent to the question I will pursue. I sit on this committee and, as I said, on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The HSE confirmed to us this afternoon the presence of toxins, particularly pesticides, in our water stream. This has been well documented by medics and there has been a lot of media coverage of it in the past 12 months. The most alarming aspect of all this is the percentage of pesticides in the urine of children in the UK and Northern Ireland, but also in this jurisdiction.

One could ask what the cumulative effect of this will be, especially if it is coming from a water stream. I recognise much of this is coming from agricultural leakage, potentially, through the water streams to aquifers etc. but we need to reassure the public. This is an alarming situation that has been confirmed by the HSE today. Irish Water referenced on page 4 of its statement - it has not numbered its pages but I have - that there is evidence of a reduction in pesticides and "pesticide enforcement files across public water supplies...". It has identified, admitted and accepted this. That is good because we now know we have a problem but we have to reassure the public.

This is now primarily a public health issue and we have to give reassurance. I do not think I would be happy if I were to read in tomorrow's newspapers that there were pesticides in our water system. How will we address that? That is one question. It is about accountability, transparency and, as I said, public health. The high levels of pesticides found in children are alarming. We need to identify whether that is coming through water for crops or through drinking water. Somehow it is water that is getting into the systems of our people. The association with carcinogenics and cancer is there, which is the most alarming matter to be raised in this committee today. It is certainly the thing I will take away with me. I ask Irish Water to touch on that issue and how it is addressing it. As I said, there are two issues, including that of wastewater.

Irish Water states in the top paragraph on page 4 of its statement: "There are currently 217 significant urban wastewater pressures impacting on 208 water bodies." Are the representatives in a position to furnish that schedule or list to the committee? I ask them to map, or if not map include an index, on the local authorities those particular plants relate to. It is important we get a greater understanding. The representatives have come today and told this committee that there are "significant urban wastewater pressures". That is important. It would be very helpful, from our point of view, if we knew where they are and what local authorities they involve. We could then look into that in greater detail. Irish Water sought to reassure the committee that it will resolve most of these issues by 2030. This is 2022. I put it to the representatives that 2030 is just too far away. They know the ins and outs of it and I do not, but this is the first I have heard and read about it. I am somewhat concerned that we will have to wait until 2030 on this issue.

I acknowledge that I received the Irish Water press statement on the River Vartry. The rationale was very well set down. I read its press release - these press releases are issued to the Houses of the Oireachtas anyway - and I thank it for that. I thank Irish Water for it engagement in respect of its communications strategy with Oireachtas Members. There is a lot of work to be done on how it engages and communicates beyond that. I spoke to a woman today, who lives just outside Loughrea, who was on a boil water notice for three months. She did not get too much communication and did not know who she should communicate with. Most people tend to go their local authority. We have a lot of work to do on how we can address that.

The representatives have confirmed Irish Water has €1.5 billion in its budget this year, which is an enormous amount of money. I ask them to address the issue of carcinogenics, pesticides and water. I would have thought, and I suggest and put this to Irish Water, that one of the topmost priorities in drawing down some of this €1.5 billion is how we address the issue of herbicides and pesticides in our drinking water.