Lough Neagh campaigners gather at Stormont on eve of Assembly return

Campaigners gathered in front of Stormont on the eve of the return of the Assembly calling for MLAs to prioritise tackling an environmental crisis that is “killing” Lough Neagh.

Noxious blooms of blue-green algae covered large parts of the lough last summer and also affected other waterways and beaches in the region.

The algae returned this summer.

The UK and Ireland’s largest freshwater lake provides more than 40% of Northern Ireland’s drinking water and supports Europe’s largest commercial eel fishery.

Nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fertiliser running off fields is believed to be a major contributory factor in the blue-green algae blooms.

The spread of the invasive zebra mussel species is also understood to have played a role in the blooms, as they have made the water clearer, allowing more sunlight to penetrate, stimulating more algal photosynthesis.

Climate change is another factor cited

In July, Stormont’s Environment minister Andrew Muir secured Stormont Executive approval for a 37-point action plan for Lough Neagh.

At the time, Mr Muir said the approval was the first step on a journey towards the long-term rehabilitation of water quality in the lough.

However campaigners have called for tougher action to be taken, including against those found to have polluted the lough.

The Save Lough Neagh coalition organised the gathering on Sunday, which was addressed by campaigners as well as People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll and Green Party Belfast councillor Brian Smyth.

Paddy McNicholl, from the coalition, called for the pressure to be kept on politicians.

“We’re here on the eve of Stormont’s return to say that enough is enough,” he said.

“Our environment is not just dying before our eyes with Stormont in action, but being killed with their policies that have caused this crisis.”

He said Lough Neagh is “symptomatic of the environmental crisis in the North”.

He added: “But if we can save Lough Neagh then we have a chance at saving our rivers, other loughs, a chance at saying no to any fossil fuel projects and giving nature rights at last,” he said to applause.

“We need to keep feet on the street and we are not going away any time soon.

“We need the climate to be at the top of the agenda, not the bottom of the agenda at long last.”

He also said there is to be a large march on October 26 in Belfast coinciding with one in England calling for clean water.