The National Water Forum has published a series of water-related actions which it believes should be included in the next Programme for Government.
The Water Forum (An Fóram Uisce) is a national statutory body set up in 2018 to facilitate stakeholder input to water policy development in Ireland.
The group consists of 27 members from 16 different sectors, representing a range of interests and perspectives on the protection and management of Ireland’s water resources.
The membership includes representatives from the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), Macra and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS).
Water Forum
The Water Forum said that its recommendations are based on a review of the most recent Programme for Government and an assessment of priority needs for the next five years.
The recommendations fall under the following four headings: policy coherence; drinking water and wastewater; water conservation/efficiency and water quality and the Water Framework Directive.
The forum recommends that an inter-departmental policy group for water, climate and biodiversity be established.
This group would “facilitate policy coherence, integration across the sectors and to find resolutions to conflicting department interests and existing conflicts in national policies”.
The forum also calls for an “inter-departmental financing strategy to meet the ambitious EU targets for water, climate and biodiversity”.
There is a further call for “sufficient resources to improve and build resilience in our water and wastewater infrastructure for both public and rural water services”.
The forum said that the next Programme for Government should include a commitment to review and improve grant schemes for private wells, along with the piloting of an approach to provide additional supports for testing of private well water.
It states that the planning process should be reviewed to prevent an increase in pressure on water quality from domestic waste water treatment systems (DWWTS), including septic tanks, from new dwellings.
The forum said that the new government should commit to a new strategy for water conservation, which would be developed and supported by a newly established national water
conservation team.
The document also includes recommendations in relation to compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive.
It states that the new government should implement the 3rd River Basin Management Plan – Water Action Plan (2024-2027).
This would include sectoral action plans with a clear focus on removing significant pressures and putting measures in place to protect water quality.
“This set of recommendations are designed to provide a framework for overall improvement in water services and water quality over the next five years,” Dr Matt Crowe, chairperson of the National Water Forum, said.
“Where we can, we have suggested specific and targeted actions that if implemented over the lifetime of the next government will help deliver better water services and better water quality for us all,” he added.