Letter: Will Stormont take action over Mobuoy and hold a public inquiry into the dump?
A letter from Pat Armstrong:
A letter from Mr Lawrence Wallace from Newtownards on the Mobuoy dump crime focused my attention when reading the News Letter letters page.
In his letter, Mr Wallace raised a number of critical and pertinent questions about the dumping of thousands of tonnes of toxic waste at a landsite in Campsie.
His questions relate to governance and accountability - essentially, who authorised and who was responsible for inspecting and monitoring this dump.
The impact on the environment, water and food supply is concerning. For instance, toxins from the site now threaten to contaminate the nearby River Faughan, a key source of drinking water in this city.
Further, toxins are seeping into nearby land used for grazing cattle and sheep and, finally, the planting of vegetable crops consumed by us all.
At risk of repetition, the toxic impact is wide reaching. Furthermore, it may take decades to address the impact of this environmental crime. This will be costly to the taxpayer.
It is important to note that this matter was brought to the public's attention by a whistleblower who is now deceased.
Would the dumping have continued without such interaction? This context underlines the importance of Mr Wallace's key questions about governance and oversight of the dump.
For instance, what was the statutory oversight and did investigations of the dump take place - and if so, how frequently?
As a member of the public, I would go further and support a request for a public and transparent inquiry into the Mobuoy dump.
Will Stormont act? Is the prevention of environmental crimes of this magnitude a focus for the Programme for Government? The silence is deafening.
Pat Armstrong, Londonderry