Threat of environmental pollution due to attacks on a UK treatment plant

A strange threat of environmental pollution hangs in County Down, Northern Ireland when several incidents of vandalism were reported at its water treatment plan during previous few months. According to details, the plant in Annsborough was attacked couple of dozen times during the previous two years and caused damage up to one hundred thousand pounds.

Danger of spillage

It is feared that if unknown miscreants again make another damaging attack, the wastewater may flood the adjoining areas causing sever environmental pollution to the community. The plant treats the raw sewage of nearly 21,000 housing and industrial units of Castlewellan and Annsborough.

Moreover, if plant stops functioning due to another blow by the rogue elements over it, it is likely that plant may stop working for sometimes. As a result the backlog of raw sewage may rise in millions of tons causing not only its storage problem but also result in outbreak of several endemic diseases. Most of this sewage comprises of human waste, industrial waste and various types of wastewater. Its substance has several harmful bacteria that create many diseases of serious nature including cholera, gastro typhoid etc. Although it is located quite away from residential area but people working in the plant would be direct hit of environmental pollutin if any further wear and tear in it occurs.

Attackers are unknown

The attackers are yet to be known because every time they ran way leaving a question mark over the policing system of the area. It is feared that further incidents of such type in future may cause lot of trouble for the communities living around the area. The reason of frequent attacks on the plant are also unknown as there are no any costly items in the plant that attackers may take away to resell them somewhere. Moreover, the installations in the plant if broken in pieces that also don’t have any resale value in the local market. The identification of their seller as thief is also possible if attackers the pieces of installations to sell in the market.

Strange act of vandalism

For the rest of the world it is strange act of vandalism that is made on a wastewater treatment plant. Such incidents are very rare all around the world and it is said for sure that no such incident has been reported in any other part of the world that may increase the environmental pollution.

Analysts say if such incident happens in a poor country it may be accepted as a common occurrence because arsons and attacks in such countries are not very unusual. Secondly policing system of backward countries is also that much poor that a criminal gang does not have to think a lot before committing such crimes. Thirdly due to lack of awareness such attacks can easily be made on a state-of-the-art treatment plant just in an effort to steal any valuable item from it.

Conclusion

But in a civilized country if such attack is reported it means the police system of such area is weaker and secondly despite several attacks over the plant the administration could not have stopped it so far. It is hoped that authorities of County Down would wake up to ward off any further attack and save the people from another threat of environmental pollution.