Have your say on how to improve water quality

The report on Significant Water Management Issues shows that 37% of our 450 water bodies (rivers, lakes, marine and groundwater) are at ‘good’ status or better.

DAERA’s Water Framework Directive target, reflected in the Department’s key objectives, is to have 70% of water bodies at ‘good’ status by 2021.

Seeking the views of the public as part of the first step in a process to develop the next cycle of River Basin Management Plans to tackle the issues raised in the Report, Tim Irwin, Head of NIEA Water Management Unit, said: “Everyone within Northern Ireland has a role to play in reducing pollution and supporting efforts to improve water quality.

“Water is a vital commodity for each and every one of us. Our bodies use water in all the cells, organs, and tissues, to help regulate body temperature and maintain other bodily functions.

“Water is precious because it is the lifeblood of our economy. We rely on it for our agriculture, for food and drink, for manufacturing, for tourism and much, much more.

“We need water to protect and improve our biodiversity and ecosystems. Like human life, biodiversity and ecosystems need water in order to survive and in the terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments water quality is key to determining what flourishes.

“We would urge members of the public to respond to this consultation, what they believe are the significant issues which need to be addressed and to give their view on the sorts of measures which they think can best tackle them.”

The Significant Water Management Issues report can be downloaded from https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/planning-third-cycle-river-basin-management-plan-2021-2027-consultation-significant-water-management

The Consultation closes on 22 June 2020

Improving water quality is a cross-cutting issue and the two main government departments for implementing measures to improve water body status are the Department for Infrastructure and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. However, this is a wider issue and everyone within Northern Ireland has a role to play in reducing pollution and supporting efforts to improve water quality.