Access to clean bathing water in the seas around us, especially with summer holidays fast approaching should be one of our environmental rights. Yet 20 popular beaches have had their applications for European Blue Flags rejected this year, mainly because of inadequate water quality due to sewage pollution For instance, it is unacceptable that eight million gallons of untreated sewage are being pumped daily into the waters of Galway Bay. This relates directly to the continuing row over the controversial sewage treatment plant proposed for Mutton Island, which is currently the subject of a High Court action by the Save Galway Bay group.
The decision of Galway Corporation to pursue this scheme even after the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, put forward a more environmentally sound alternative of putting the sewage works underground is hard to fathom, unless it hopes to find a more receptive ear in the incoming Government to the proposal to proceed with the original plan.
In the meantime, the Consumers Association of Ireland surely has a point in suggesting that the Blue Flag scheme has been devalued by the decision to award a flag to Salthill, one of the beaches most at risk from sewage pollution. It is a questionable decision notwithstanding assurances from An Taisce which administers the scheme, that the blue flag will be taken down from the mast as soon as there is any sign of a decline in water quality.
The Blue Flag is meant to be a guarantee of high standards not just in terms of water quality, but also beach management, safety measures and the dissemination of environmental information. In this regard, it is heartening that 70 of the Republic's beaches have qualified for the award this year, the highest number since the scheme was inaugurated 10 years age.
Dublin has performed poorly, with only three beaches qualifying for Blue Flags front a total of 13 applications. This, again, relates to the problem of severe pollution which will only be resolved when Dublin Corporation invests some £200 million in an EU funded scheme to upgrade the totally inadequate sewage treatment plant at Ringsend. The sooner this project gets under way the better. People in the capital especially those who may not be able to splash out on foreign holidays are entitled to expect that they and their children can enjoy a summer swim in Dublin Bay without running the risk of contracting disease because of the failure of the authorities to take the appropriate steps to protect them.