THE SEWERAGE system in Kildare town would present an immediate health concern for residents in the event of flooding, the local Chamber of Commerce has claimed.
Chamber member Ger Conway said “an environmental crisis” was looming because sewerage pipes overflowed in flood conditions. “Major investment in jobs and housing in Kildare town is being held up because the town’s sewerage system is inadequate to cope with additional development,” he said.
Mr Conway said a pipe burst in the Fairgreen area of Kildare recently and raw sewage surfaced under the tarmac and was flowing along the roadside.
The chamber has produced a report which says the existing wastewater infrastructure in Kildare town is “not fit for purpose.”
“In addition to being environmentally wasteful, this presents a more immediate health concern for residents, particularly in light of current trends in rainfall that has seen a huge rise in the incidence of flooding in the town,” the report says.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Department of the Environment said the Kildare Town Sewerage Scheme was included for funding in the current Water Services Investment Programme 2007 -2009 at an estimated cost of €21.4 million.
“The department is currently examining Kildare County Council’s tender report and recommendation, recently received, for the wastewater treatment plant element of the scheme,” the spokesman said.
“The department expects to notify the council of its decision as soon as possible,” he added.
