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SDG 6.a.1 Amount of water and sanitation related official development assistance that is part of a government co-ordinated spending plan is reported on by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) - recent data is in the Irish Aid Annual Report 2023.
The SDG indicators metadata repository provides the following definition in the SDG 6.a.1 metadata document:
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government coordinated spending plan is defined as the proportion of total water and sanitation related Official Development Assistance (ODA) disbursements that are included in the government budget.
Irish Aid (a division of DFA) is the Irish Government’s official aid programme, working on behalf of Irish people to address poverty and hunger in some of the world’s poorest countries. The aid programme is an integral part of Ireland’s foreign policy.
According to DFA, €836,000 was spent on water and sanitation, only 0.1% of the total Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget of €1.467 billion. See Table 6.1.
SDG 6.b.1 Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management is published by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO).
The SDG indicators metadata repository provides the following definition in the SDG 6.b.1 metadata document:
The indicator assesses the percentage of local administrative units (as defined by the national government) that have an established and operational mechanism by which individuals and communities can meaningfully contribute to decisions and directions about water and sanitation management.
Across the water sector in Ireland there are many varied policies and procedures for the participation of local communities in water and sanitation management. There are many relevant organisations working in this area and details of some of these are provided below.
As discussed under SDG 6.1.1, group water schemes accounted for 8% of domestic water supply. The National Federation of Group Water Schemes (NFGWS) is the representative organisation for the community-owned group water scheme sector in Ireland. The Mission of the NFGWS is to provide effective representation and mentoring for group water schemes, building a sustainable and resilient rural water sector that provides a professional service to its members and meets its obligations towards protection of sources, water conservation and the consistent delivery of safe and wholesome drinking water supplies.
LAWPRO is a national local authority shared service, that works alongside local authorities, public bodies, stakeholders and communities to protect, enhance and maintain healthy waters and catchments. Information on the work of LAWPRO can be seen in the Annual Report 2023.
LAWPRO is managed jointly by Kilkenny and Tipperary County Councils and employs 60 specialist staff from a broad range of disciplines. These staff work out of 13 Local Authority centres in a five regions structure: Border, West, East and Midlands, South East and South West. See Map 6.1.
LAWPRO has three core aims:
The programme has two teams:
The Communities Team supports communities and stakeholders in the delivery of local water quality projects and initiatives. The team also works with rivers trusts and catchment partnerships, which are emerging across the country.
The Catchment Assessment Team are implementing measures within 189 Priority Areas for Action aimed at improving water quality. This involves river assessments and stream walks to understand the issues affecting water quality. Working with local communities, landowners, business owners and public bodies, this team develops relevant and workable solutions. The Programme supports the Agricultural Sustainability and Advisory Programme, working with farmers in the Priority Areas for Action.
This is a new way of working to achieve better water quality and it is being supported by community action right across the country.
The Sustainable Water Network (SWAN) is an umbrella network of twenty-five of Ireland’s leading environmental groups working together to protect Ireland’s waters by participating in the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), Marine Strategy Framework Directive and other water-related policy in Ireland. A key focus of SWAN’s work involves collaborating at local, national and River Basin District level to ensure that the Water Framework Directive is implemented in the spirit as well as the letter of the law.
SWAN is made up of national and local groups with a wide range of local knowledge and specialist expertise in all areas of Ireland’s aquatic environment. The cooperative work of this network is contributing significantly to achieving real protection for our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal and ground waters.
The Irish Environmental Network is an umbrella network that works to support environmental NGOs through access to funding and services. It consists of environmental NGOs that carry out their work through practical conservation work, campaigning, lobbying and raising public awareness of environmental and conservation needs. Funding is supported by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE).
An Fóram Uisce (The Water Forum) was statutorily established in June 2018, pursuant to the Water Services Act 2017. Upon its statutory establishment, the pre-existing Public Water Forum and the National Rural Water Services Committee were dissolved and their functions transferred to An Fóram.
An Fóram provides an opportunity for stakeholders to debate and analyse a range of issues with regard to water quality, rural water concerns, issues affecting customers of Irish Water and the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.
Information on public consultations held by government departments and local authorities is available online.
Examples of consultations are:
Uisce Eireann consulted on their Water Services Strategic Plan (WSSP) which presents Uisce Éireann’s objectives for the next 25 years and the means by which they will achieve them. It aligns to requirements set out in the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. They published the first Water Services Strategic Plan in 2015 and consultation on the draft Water Service Strategic Plan 2050 (WSSP 2050) which replaces the plan developed in 2015 ran for ten weeks from the 21 May to 30 July 2024.
Uisce Éireann has adopted its National Water Resources Plan (NWRP) – Framework Plan and has adopted the four Regional Water Resources Plans (RWRP) for the East and Midlands, South West, North West and South East respectively. The NWRP is Ireland’s first 25-year strategic plan enabling us to move towards safe, secure, reliable and sustainable water supplies for all of our customers and communities, whilst safeguarding public health and the environment. The framework plan and all RWRPs went through a public consultation process.
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