8 hours agoShareSaveSteffan MessengerEnvironment correspondent, BBC Wales NewsGareth BryerBBC NewsShareSaveShea Buckland-Jones, head of policy and advocacy at WWF Cymru, said NRW’s assessments highlighted “the terrible state of our waterways and the urgent action needed from Welsh government”.”Sadly, the public do not need to view a report to appreciate the dire state of our waterways as it is all too apparent.”This is why there is so much support from across Wales to bring Welsh rivers back to full health,” he added, pointing to polling carried on the charity’s behalf.It suggested 87% of the Welsh public supported action from the Welsh government to reduce and where possible eliminate river pollution caused by agriculture and sewage.Results show 79% of those asked supported restoring carbon-rich marine habitats such as seagrass, saltmarsh and oyster reefs.”As we have set out in our new manifesto this means sustained action to restore ecosystems and prevent all sources of river pollution, focusing on the two biggest sources; agriculture and sewage,” Mr Buckland-Jones said.A spokesman for NFU Cymru said the farming union recognised “the role that farmers have to play in maintaining and enhancing water quality in Wales”. “Farmers take their environmental responsibilities seriously and NFU Cymru continues to work with partners to take action to reduce incidences of agricultural point source and diffuse pollution, where the evidence shows this is needed,” they said.Welsh Water said it planned to invest £4bn – including £2.5bn on environmental projects – between now and 2030. “During the next two years we will be building on NRW’s work and carrying out investigations to understand the different sources of nutrients found in sea water whether from runoff water from the land or wastewater,” the company said.”River pollution and marine water quality is not just an issue for water companies. We need to work together with other sectors who impact water quality to ensure improvement.”Mary Lewis from NRW said a huge amount of knowledge and expertise had been drawn upon “to produce such comprehensive evidence about the condition of our protected marine areas”.”This will now provide an important baseline for us to monitor progress,” she said.The Welsh government said it was “committed to improving the health of our rivers and seas” and undertaking “a range of actions to improve water quality”.This includes implementing “at pace all recommendations from the recent Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations Review,” it added.”We remain dedicated to developing and strengthening environmental law in Wales. The Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill, recently laid in the Senedd, reflects the ongoing need to deliver transformative change, including tackling drivers of biodiversity loss such as nutrient pollution.” …
