Partners Against Pollution

20 December 2013 12:46

The first Partners Against Pollution forum was held recently at NI Water's Training Centre in Antrim.  The forum is an initiative by NI Water to bring together organisations and policy makers to see how collectively everyone can help reduce pollution.
Angela Halpenny, NI Water’s Head of Environmental Regulation comments:  
 “NI Water clears approximately 20,779 blockages from sewers each year at a cost of over £1.6 million.  However, there is an even heavier cost to the environment in terms of the impact of pollution incidents.   
“The forum brought together key players from the charity, public and private sector, all with a vested interest in keeping our beaches, rivers and environment pollution free.  
“NI Water has invested millions of pounds in improving compliance from Wastewater Treatment Works.  However, investment is not the only solution.  We need a cultural change within society to stop the repeated misuse of our sewer network, which is commonly used as a dumping ground for inappropriate materials.  
“The forum has provided the basis for a future multi-partnership approach to addressing this universal problem.”  
Attendees at the forum included representatives from DOE, CCNI, NI Environment Link, DRD, The River Trusts, the NI Food and Drink Association and local Councils.  
You can view first hand the damage inappropriate items can do to a sewer by visiting http://www.youtube.com/user/northernirelandwater.