It’s sad eco-system could take years to recover
THE news that a 25-mile stretch of the River Irwell had been polluted, putting the eco-system of the river at risk, was devastating (see page 11).
Yet walking along the river at the weekend, it was hard to tell that anything was wrong.
That’s because the agricultural pesticide which found its way into the Irwell – assumed to have taken place somewhere in Rossendale – kills river bugs on which other creatures, including birds and crayfish using the river, rely upon.
So while the river looks the same, and still has fish swimming it in parts – fish aren’t affected – there’s an environmental disaster playing out which we can’t even see. The Environment Agency is now investigating how the poison got into the river, but given the spread of the chemical, and the many ways it could have got into the water, it may be that we never find out what happened.
It could take years for the eco-system to recover. That makes me very, very sad.