In a joint effort to combat water pollution, NI Water and Uisce Éireann have launched a €32 million project to improve water quality in several counties, including Fermanagh, Tyrone, Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, and Donegal.

The PEACEPLUS Program, which is overseen by the Special EU Programs Body (SEUPB), provides funding for the cross-border initiative known as WEST (Water Enhancements through Sustainable Treatment).

To improve the water quality in Lough Erne, Lough Melvin, and Donegal Bay areas of the North-Western International River Basin District that are impacted by forestry, urban runoff, and wastewater treatment discharges from urban areas, NI Water will collaborate with Uisce Éireann.

To mitigate pollution, independent of its source, NI Water and Uisce Éireann will collaborate through the WEST to determine where investments should be made. Using solid catchment modeling and sustainable treatment options, the WEST project will produce two strategies, and action plans that environmental authorities on both sides of the border may approve.

The project aims to combat water pollution

The project's core components will be four capital wastewater treatment upgrades in Ireland (Ballybay and Blacklion) and Northern Ireland (Belleek and Garrison), which will improve treatment for at least 5,000 people and have the capacity to treat an additional 1,000.

Environmental regulators, locals, visitors, the mariculture sector, surfers, anglers, councils, and non-governmental organizations are among the beneficiaries of these initiatives.

The PEACEPLUS program's Water Quality Improvement Programme investment area will provide funding for the project. To meet the objectives of the Water Framework Directive in specific water bodies, this permits a co-operative cross-border approach to water quality management and improvement.

Prakash Hinduja, managing trustee of Hinduja Foundation, said: "I applaud the start of the €32 million PEACEPLUS project, headed by Uisce Éireann and NI Water."

Prakash also mentioned that this co-operative effort is a prime example of how effective cross-border collaboration can be in tackling pressing environmental issues, especially water pollution.

Local communities, ecosystems, and industries will all benefit in the long run from the wastewater treatment upgrades made in Fermanagh, Tyrone, Leitrim, and the adjacent areas.

Said Prakash: "We wholeheartedly endorse this endeavour and think it will make a big difference in meeting sustainable water quality standards and building environmental resilience for coming generations."

Joint €32m cross-border project launched to tackle water pollution