Northern Ireland Water welcomes return of John ‘O Dowd

Northern Ireland Water has welcomed the return of veteran Sinn Fein politician, John O’Dowd, as infrastructure minister now Stormont has a functioning administration after a two-year hiatus.

The department headed by ‘O Dowd  is responsible for the water sector, transport and planning.

The publicly-owned utility told THE WATER REPORT that minster O’Dowd “was very open to understanding the key challenges being faced by NI Water during his temporary tenure in 2022.  We look forward to continuing these discussions with him in the near future.”

O’Dowd has already made it clear that infrastructure investment is a priority for him and his department.

“Getting infrastructure right, and investing in it, accordingly, can create the foundations for better rural and urban communities. It is the key to unlocking a more prosperous, productive society and I look forward to getting started” he said.

The UK government has promised a £3.3bn  package of financial help to the new Northern Ireland Executive.

A spokesperson for the infrastructure department  stressed:  “NI Water provide essential water and wastewater services to households, businesses, hospitals and schools across the north.

“The minister has already written jointly with all other executive ministers to the British government to state that the current financial package does not provide the basis for the executive to deliver sustainable public services.  The minister will be meeting with executive colleagues to collectively discuss budget allocations.” 

Northern Ireland Water has insisted that further critical infrastructure investment is needed to protect public health, enhance the environment and underpin economic growth.

The water company  has had to recommended that applications for housing and other developments in 100 towns and villages across the region should be refused because of inadequate existing wastewater capacity.

Northern Ireland Water has also warned that it  faces budget reductions of around £900m over the next three years which threaten to make the position worse.