asked the Minister for Local Government if he has any plans regarding the cleaning of the river Liffey.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Liffey Cleaning.
42.
Presumably the Deputy has in mind the physical removal of material from the river Liffey. The Dublin Corporation have carried out some work in this respect and I understand that some further work is intended by them.
The Minister will agree that this river is very badly polluted? He mentioned some further work. What is the extent of the work?
Following representations from the former Minister for Local Government the corporation, in 1972, removed unsightly mudbanks at Seán Hueston Bridge and other deposits of mud further down the river. The estimated cost of the work was £9,000. The greater Dublin drainage scheme, estimated to cost £6½ million, work on which has already commenced, will eliminate the main cause of pollution.
Can the Minister say what the main cause of pollution is?
The Deputy's guess is as good as mine.
Perhaps I can tell the Minister. It is because there is untreated sewage being discharged into the Camac river which is a tributary of the Liffey. That and chemical effluent are the main causes.
I am aware of how disastrous the situation is.
43.
asked the Minister for Local Government the action he intends taking in relation to the pollution of the river Liffey; and the interim measures he intends taking to control the foul odours emanating from the river, particularly during warm weather.
The greater Dublin drainage scheme, on which work has begun, is expected to bring about a major improvement in the condition of the river by intercepting storm and foul flows which are a principal cause of pollution in it.
It is a matter for the local authorities concerned to consider what measures are necessary and feasible to improve matters in the meantime. Dublin Corporation have removed mudbanks and other deposits from the river and I understand that further work to remove rubbish is envisaged this year.
The Minister will agree that he did not fully reply to the second part of my question in connection with the foul odours arising from the river? Can the Minister say what causes the odours? Is it a question, as Deputy O'Connell says, of sewage being discharged into the Liffey from the Camac? Is there anything at all that can be done to prevent these foul smells assailing the nostrils of tourists and, indeed, the indigenous population?
The information I have here is that no major improvement will take place until the greater Dublin drainage scheme is completed. In the meantime, it is a matter of piecemeal work.
Can the Minister say, for the benefit of the long-suffering population of Dublin and visitors from the country and from other countries, when the greater Dublin drainage scheme will be completed?
I have not got that information.
About four years.