Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 May 1944

Vol. 93 No. 12

Ceisteanna.—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pollution of River Camac.

asked the Minister for Local Government and Public Health if he is aware of the continued complaints among local residents regarding the polluted state of the River Camac, Dublin; if he has received a report from the City Manager, Dublin Corporation, of the conference between officials of the City Engineer's and Public Health Departments, representatives of the paper mills and county council; if he is satisfied that the three manufacturing firms concerned are taking steps to prevent the pollution of the river, and if he will give sanction to the Dublin Corporation to carry out by relief works the scheme submitted for the cleansing and improvement of the river from Inchicore to the River Liffey.

I would refer the Deputy to the reply to a similar question on the 22nd February last. Since then no complaints from local residents were received in my Department. A report was received from the City Manager on the 29th March, in which it was stated that the matter had been considered in detail at a conference between the representatives of the paper mills and representatives of the Dublin Corporation and Dublin County Council. One of the mills installed machinery to minimise the amount of fibre in the effluent reaching the Camac River, but it is understood the other mill concerned has practically found it impossible to obtain the necessary machinery for the purpose. I understand that it was agreed at the conference that if the mill owners cleaned the river from Clondalkin to Inchicore, the corporation would arrange for its cleaning below Inchicore. It has been further ascertained from the corporation that the mill owners had portion of the river from Clondalkin to Drimnagh cleaned at the end of March last, and that the engineers of the corporation and the county council had inspected the work on the 4th ultimo, and were satisfied that it had been completed properly. It has also been ascertained that the work of the cleaning of the river from Drimnagh to Inchicore, including the mill-race, was commenced on the 24th ultimo. No details of the corporation's proposed scheme of cleaning the river below Inchicore have yet been received.

May I inform the Minister that I have got complaints only yesterday morning from the Drimnagh area of the river? Both in the city area and the county area, people who are resident near the course of the river are obliged to close the windows of their houses and cannot leave them open at all, as the effluent is still flowing down the river. Will the Parliamentary Secretary give that matter early attention?

Would the Deputy forward the representations he received yesterday morning?

Top
Share