Some 19,000 homes and 15,000 commercial developments are "unlikely to be built" because of underfunding in Northern Ireland water and sewage infrastructure.The committee heard NI Water need £1.9 billion to upgrade its infrastructure but have a £900 million shortfall and that overspills have reached a “critical” level.
“This means we have the lowest rate of internal sewer flooding in the UK while the dis-benefit is that we have higher quantities of wastewater going into our rivers, lakes, and seas.” "I am pleased that the Assembly is having the debate on the challenges facing NI Water as it’s a significant issue which affects the delivery of essential public services. We all want to see a sustainable water and wastewater infrastructure which benefits everyone across our society.
He added: "I am in no doubt that we can collectively find the solution by truly and demonstrably valuing essential public services such as water and funding them appropriately. They do, however, support exploring the idea of "mutualisation, in the context of a system which is run in the interest of consumers".
"This will require leadership and innovative thinking around how we meet investment requirements for the water network now and in the future.