Slaughter of the Sixmile
Thursday, 14 August 2008
The devastating aftermath of the fish kill which wiped out life along the full length of the Sixmilewater.
HIGH ranking representatives from the DOE are to face a public grilling over the plight of Antrim's Sixmile Water river, which has suffered from major pollution incidents that left thousands of fish dead.
Acting Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Roy Ramsey will face concerned groups including Countryside Alliance Ireland and the Antrim Angling Association this week, who plan to quiz him on methods of preventing further catastrophic pollution spills. It is also expected that Mr Ramsey and other NIEA staff will be forced to explain the current state of promised prosecutions against Sixmile polluters, who they claimed were 'in their sights' after a recent fish kill.
Twice this year, major pollution spills have almost wiped out all life in the stretch of water which runs through Antrim town and into Lough Neagh. It has been claimed that the source of the two spills was at a river tributary in Mallusk near Newtonabbey, close to the site of a huge industrial estate.
Critics of the EHS claim that polluters are being allowed to get away with dumping dangerous chemicals into the river, as not enough is being done to uncover the culprits. Conservationists have also demanded the implementation of an independent river agencies body to protect the Sixmile and other waterways across the province. Currently, river bailiffs are prevented from taking water samples for the EHS in the immediate aftermath of spills, while EHS staff have also been accused of not responding to such incidents quickly enough.
The late Allen Kirkpatrick, who was Antrim's river bailiff until his death earlier this summer, was a tireless campaigner for the well-being of his beloved river, and often warned that the Sixmile was in danger of destruction if polluters were not brought to justice. It is his passion which local campaigning groups hope to keep alive in order to protect the waterway, which is home to many species of fish, as well as other wildlife including eels, insects and rare algae.
New Environment Minister Sammy Wilson was originally invited to attend the meeting on Wednesday in the Antrim Forum, but is currently on holiday, and will be represented by Mr Ramsey and others.
Mr Wilson who is the DUP MP for East Antrim, has been challenged to face up to his responsibilities and help bring those behind the fish kills before the courts. It is likely there will be calls for tougher penalties for polluters, and Mr Wilson's colleagues are unlikely to receive a warm welcome at the meeting, in which members of the public are invited to attend when it begins at 7pm.
One group of campaigners claimed the DUP man's appointment to the Environment post had 'set the clock back' by around five years on green issues in the province. This is based on the Minister's open scepticism about the true extent of global warming, and his endorsement of nuclear power plants as a solution to increased energy demands.
The Templepatrick Action Community Association (TACA), who lobby for various issues affecting their area, have recently launched a 'Save the Sixmile Water' campaign, demanding stricter measures to protect the river and its tributaries, including the Ballymartin river.
