Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The first thing we have to recognise is that one of the biggest causes of pollution is municipal wastewater systems that are totally inadequate. It is much easier to sell to a lot of people the idea of investing money over the ground than under the ground. However, we need to radically step up our investment in Uisce Éireann in order to upgrade our wastewater systems that are deficient and provide wastewater systems where we do not currently have them. A new system was put in in Clifden. Ordinarily, the system is more than adequate for the town. However, the problem is that the storm water also goes in where the wastewater goes in and when you get very heavy rains, the system cannot cope and there is an overflow. The same thing that is happening in Clifden happened in Ringsend in Dublin. Sooner or later we are going to have to face up to the fact that we have to divert as much storm water as possible away from the sewerage systems or the wastewater systems.

The report out today is by the EPA. It was a bit misleading how it was reported in the media because it was said that half of the houses failed the septic tank inspections. Of course, this was done on a risk-based analysis where it tried to target the places where it thought there was a problem, so it is not representative of the total number of houses. Wastewater systems in private houses can be a problem but the Government penny pinchers were spending less than €100 million a year for the 500,000 houses in the country. If you figure out what is being spent on Uisce Éireann, for the other 1.3 or 1.4 million lucky houses, you suddenly realise there is only one group that gets no investment and that is the people who have to provide their own systems. One simple change that could be made is that if a person had a defective system, they would be eligible on a once-off basis for a grant and they could ask for an inspection. This would be instead of the present situation, where a person could have a terrible wastewater system but if they are not selected due to not being near another agglomeration, they are not able to get the grant. This is totally counter-intuitive.

Another issue is the number of small villages that are unsewered. I mention Cill Rónáin on the Aran Islands, Cill Chiaráin, Carna and Corr na Móna. I could go on and on, mentioning other villages such as Clarinbridge and Craughwell. The reality is there is a small amount of money being given for new systems in towns and villages which are unsewered. We need to immediately multiply that money at least tenfold to make any impression across the country in all these unsewered towns and villages. All of this is just practical action rather than writing more and more reports when we are dealing with the obvious.

Another issue I will mention in the very short time I have does not relate to cleaning water, but to access to clean water. Some 10% of houses in this State are dependent on private systems of various quality, such as wells and streams. I cannot understand why the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage refuses again and again to accept the premise that the same approach should be taken towards this as was taken towards broadband. The approach taken to broadband was that it was a fundamental necessity, as is electricity and a road to one's house. Electricity is a fundamental to modern living. The State should develop a policy that every house in the country would be given the option of connecting to a public municipal supply of water unless they were already connected to a satisfactory quality-approved group water scheme. When that kind of job is done, it is done. Uisce Éireann made it very clear at the Irish language committee that if the investment was made, it would maintain those systems. They would need very little maintenance because they would be brand new and would connect into the existing Uisce Éireann pipes.

We need to tackle farm waste. There are many reasons for it and it is a slow one to tackle because even if the cause is reduced for a while, it does not reduce the pollution. However, we have a problem in the south and south east. One obvious solution is to start processing our slurry and produce biogas which would provide a biofuel that could replace and displace fossil fuels. It would also provide a bioproduct in pellet form which, once spread on land, would do a lot less damage than spreading raw slurry. Therefore, let us stop talking about the theory. I have given about six practical things that could be done. If they were all done, we would suddenly find that our rivers and lakes were in a lot better state than they are.

Thankfully, I live in one of the best areas in the country for beautiful clean lakes, in the north of Lough Corrib.

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