Rainwater recycling could have prevented Tuesday's floods

11.58.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 14th Jun 2007

Alliance Party Sustainability Spokesperson Cllr Alan Lawther

Alliance Party Sustainability Spokesperson Cllr Alan Lawther has stated that Tuesday's devastating floods across parts of Northern Ireland might have been prevented if Northern Ireland had better rainwater recycling measures, to take the pressure off the sewage system. He stated that the Executive must now move quickly to implement a green rainwater management strategy and make all aspects of environmental protection a key priority, in order to stop the climate change that brought about Tuesday's devastating downpour.

The Antrim Councillor said: "There are environmentally-friendly ways of managing rainwater which would have prevented Tuesday's flood carnage across Northern Ireland.

"The Environment Minister, Arlene Foster, must now move quickly to implement a green rainwater management strategy and make all aspects of environmental protection a key priority, to stop the climate change that caused Tuesday's devastating downpour.

"The Executive has a duty to get up to speed on the latest environmental practices in order to do their best to prevent floods like this happening again.

"There are a number of modifications that can be made to houses and public areas to help recycle rainwater. By having more green open spaces and green roofs, having gravel and grass instead of tarmac in public areas, and also having more ponds in parks, we can save rain water and channel it into underground reservoirs or mechanisms on roofs to contain it. This will take the pressure off the sewage system and will prevent flooding like we saw on Tuesday.

"This saved rainwater can be used in people's toilets or in their homes, provided it is not used as drinking water.

"There has been a huge number of people paving over gardens to make parking spaces. People need to think long and hard about doing this, because it could be the difference between their house remaining dry, or being flooded during a torrential downpour.

"Rainwater management is crucial to sustainable development. Its time that the Executive started taking climate change seriously and made going green across all aspects of society, a key priority.

"The Executive should be looking to introduce legislation requiring new-build houses to have some facilities for rainwater recycling. When the devastating effects of climate change can bee seen on local people's doorsteps as we saw on Tuesday, it hammers home the need for politicians to act quickly."

ENDS