How To Object
Dear Minister Nesbitt,
Re: Public Health Emergency – Untreated Sewage and Failing Wastewater Infrastructure
I write on behalf of the Quarterlands Group, a residents’ group based within the Lagan Valley Regional Park, to express our grave concern about the growing public health risks resulting from the chronic failures of Northern Ireland’s wastewater infrastructure.
At a meeting with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council on 31 March 2025, Dr Stephen Blockwell, Head of Investment Management, Engineering & Sustainability at NI Water, delivered a presentation outlining the scale and seriousness of this crisis. We have enclosed a copy of the slides and audio recording for your reference.
The slide most relevant to your remit as Minister for Health contains a direct warning from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency:
“This (wastewater) infrastructure presents a risk to both public health and the environment. Consequently, failure to invest and improve it will result in continued deterioration of water quality in Northern Ireland and non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements.”
Dr Blockwell went on to make several alarming points, including:
*The 2007 environmental dispensation to operate at reduced standards was intended only as a short-term measure pending investment — investment which has not materialised;
*40% of all storm overflows (approx. 950) are already failing standards, with 1,200 still to be assessed;
* The wastewater system is significantly contributing to poor water quality and will require several billion pounds to fix;
* Blue-green algae blooms in Lough Neagh are driven by dangerously high nutrient levels, with consequences for both drinking water and public health;
*Without urgent change, Northern Ireland faces “a permanent future of high levels of pollution.”
These statements align with the evidence presented in The Story of Belfast Lough, published by NI Water in September 2024, the recent article in The Irish News. and the BBC Spotlight programme The Sewage Scandal (November 2024), all of which document extensive pollution, untreated sewage discharges, and growing threats to public health across the region
As Minister for Health, we respectfully ask:
What actions are available to you to address these public health threats?
*Has the Department of Health developed any policies or strategies specifically targeting the health impacts of wastewater and sewage pollution?
*Will you commit to interdepartmental cooperation to ensure this crisis is treated with the urgency it demands?
Communities across Northern Ireland — including ours — are already living with the consequences of inaction. We urge you to take a public stance on this issue and ensure that public health is at the heart of the response to Northern Ireland’s wastewater crisis.
Yours sincerely,
Lisa Catherwood
(Honorary Secretary Quarterlands Group)
