NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Mcdonald is deluded if he thinks fish in Sydney Harbour are potentially edible, said NSW Upper House Greens MP Ian Cohen.
“It appears to me that the government is desperately fishing around for good news stories rather than focusing its energies on a comprehensive solution to the dioxin problem in Sydney Harbour,” he said.
“Mr Macdonald also made it clear that any reassessment would need to be approved by an expert panel. If that is the case, why are we hearing about this before they have considered the issue?
“The most effective way to ensure that fish in the harbour can be eaten is to make sure the dioxin risk is removed from the harbour itself. It is also important that this remediation take in all the contaminated area, not just the small section restored so far.
“Any effective solution must involve quarantining the affected area, pumping the water out, and then removing the toxic sediment. This requires either a steel caisson or a cofferdam. Anything less than this is problematic.
“The Government’s current proposal involves sealing off the affected area with silt nets and then scooping out the sediment. Attempting to do this without first removing the water runs the risk of making the problem worse by stirring up buried sediment.
“Cofferdams and caissons are not easy or cheap options, but the financial, environmental and social costs of inaction are much greater and are increasing with every passing day,” Mr Cohen said.
Further Information: Michael Hidden 9230 3305 or 0431 320 085
No comments:
Post a Comment