With pollution levels in the Tolka at an all time high can this Dublin river recover?
The River Tolka rises in County Meath and flows in a southeasterly direction into County Dublin, through Mulhuddart, Blanchardstown and Finglas and on through Glasnevin, Drumcondra, past Ballybough, Fairview and the North Strand, entering Dublin Bay between East Wall and Clontarf.
While anglers still fish upstream, the state of the river from the Finglas Bridge to Dublin Bay is of grave concern to many.
Arthur Griffith Park is located on both sides of the Tolka between Glasnevin and Drumcondra. The small river pool here was once a place where children played and learned to swim. Now it is a repository for septic sludge, caused by effluent discharged from factories and Dublin Corporation rubbish dumps upstream.
Arthur Dewhurst, Insititute of Industrial Research and Standards, who conducted a recent study of the water quality in the lower Tolka commented that the average person is already aware of the severity of the problem.
All you need is a sense of smell.
One environmental group is determined to combat pollution in the Tolka. The National Waters Conservation Association says the river faces challenges on many fronts,
The problems are really vast.
Lack of legislation means that polluters cannot at present be prosecuted and fined. To this end, the National Waters Conservation Association has prepared a Private Members’ Bill which will be introduced to Dáil Éireann by Luke Belton, TD (Teachta Dála).
He is optimistic about receiving support from his fellow deputies across the political divide in Dáil Éireann, as this would be doing something positive to eliminate pollution.
This report for 'Newsbeat’ was broadcast on 15 October 1970. The reporter is Cathal O’Shannon.
'Newsbeat' was a half-hour feature programme presented by Frank Hall and ran for seven years from September 1964 to June 1971. 'Newsbeat' went out from Monday to Friday on RTÉ television and reported on current affairs and issues of local interest from around Ireland. The final programme was broadcast on 11 June 1971.
