Galway East TD Seán Canney has called on the government to fast-track clean water and wastewater treatment services in towns and villages.
The Independent TD said that the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2019 report is highly critical of Irish Water’s delivery of new treatment plants.
The Report notes that 35 towns and villages continue to discharge raw sewerage into nearby waters.
“Places like Craughwell, Corofin, Abbeyknockmoy are examples of towns and Villages that have no Sewerage treatment facilities provided by Irish Water,” said Deputy Canney.
“These town and villages cannot develop to meet the demand for housing or cope with the threat of pollution from existing housing estates.”
He said that Galway is one of the worst counties in terms of the provision of Municipal Treatment Plants and said that it is an ‘environmental time bomb’.
“The report also identifies 113 priority areas where improvements are urgently needed to prevent pollution, eliminate discharges, meet EU treatment standards and protect bathing waters.
“We need to protect our environment and our communities. We must support people living in communities to develop growth centres.
“But towns and villages need investment to provide the infrastructure necessary to attract families to live, work and raise their families, and clean water and wastewater systems are essential components to grow communities.”
Deputy Canney said that in order to address some of these issues, local authorities and developers require clear policies and actions to ensure proper planning takes place.
“The implementation of a development lead infrastructure scheme to fast track infrastructural development in our towns and villages to create balanced development is long overdue,” added the East Galway TD.
Seán Canney along with the Regional Group of TDs published motion in relation to the issue, calling on the Government to create a strategic plan to make regional development a reality.
