§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the role of construction companies in the pollution of waterways in the UK; and if he will give a breakdown by industry of pollution incidents in waterways since 1990. [59693]
§ Mr. MealeThe Environment Agency report "Water Pollution Incidents in England and Wales 1997", published in June 1998, reported that there were 588 substantiated construction industry pollution incidents in 1997. This represents an increase of 15% from the previous year (509 incidents in 1996).
The Agency identified two main problems on construction sites. The first major problem, silt, can be dealt with through careful management of surface water run-off. The second is oil storage. The Government are considering the need for new controls to set minimum standards for industrial and commercial oil storage installations which will complement other initiatives aimed at reducing the number of such incidents.
The Agency is continuing with initiatives to tackle the number of incidents from this sector in order to improve the industry's environmental performance. It has worked closely with the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) on a number of projects to reduce pollution, minimise waste and to promote sustainable construction, and is represented on the Construction Industry Environmental Forum (CLEF) which is sponsored by my Department. The Agency has also produced specific information and guidance to raise awareness of environmental issues amongst construction and demolition workers.
A breakdown by industry of substantiated water pollution incidents reported by the Environment Agency is attached for 1995–1997. Figures prior to this are not comparable as data collection methods have changed.
348W
Breakdown of substantiated industrial water pollution incidents 1995–97 1995 1996 1997 Construction 807 509 588 Food Industry 398 404 359 Engineering 327 392 357 Mining 312 293 268 Chemical Industry 422 327 238 Textile Industry 224 130 148 Metal Industry 99 118 135 Fuelling Stations 186 64 124 Landfill/Water disposal 251 234 122
Breakdown of substantiated industrial water pollution incidents 1995–97 1995 1996 1997 Paper Industry 155 110 77 Power Generation 117 305 70 Oil Industry 130 86 66 Demolition 50 209 31 Unclassified 1,285 844 1,140 Total industrial incidents 4,763 4,025 3,723 Source:
Environment Agency