2023-11-24 18:31:00
On Thursday, the SPW-Arne, the administration in charge of analyses, confirmed to the deputies the version of the exchanges “from experts to experts” without the information going up the hierarchy. It was up to the minister to explain how this was possible on such a sensitive subject for the population.
To avoid too much exposure to Pfas, you must “avoid consuming processed products”
Apologies in the name of Wallonia
“Since last week, I have noticed on the ground the concern of the population, the anger sometimes of people who no longer know if they can have confidence in the water they drink. I am putting all my energy into trying to gradually provide them with more and more precise answers,” began Céline Tellier, regretting the lack of proactive communication with municipalities and residents. “What happened is not acceptable. I express my deep and sincere apologies, on behalf of Wallonia, to the people who felt cheated. I will make sure this never happens once more,” she said solemnly.
The minister then detailed the different axes of the action plan adopted by the Walloon government. This provides for the creation of an independent scientific council responsible for examining all the consequences of Pfas pollution on human health, support and health monitoring of people affected by polluted water (in particular through an analysis of samples blood), the setting of a stricter threshold of vigilance than the future European standard and the acceleration of the monitoring of Walloon waters. “I received water analyzes this morning in 306 out of 645 areas and 100% of the samples show results below the future standard of 100 ng/l. We are talking here regarding a coverage rate of 83% of the Walloon population. We must have the complete figures as quickly as possible, the objective being to have the results of all the analyzes during the month of December,” the minister told the committee.
PFAS pollution: the SPW recognizes a communication error, but ensures that it acted as quickly as possible
Responsible for all employees
Although the minister maintains that she was not made aware of the alarming rates of eternal polluters by her colleague, several parliamentarians recalled her responsibility for all of her teams. “The minister apologizes on behalf of Wallonia, she does not assume her responsibility,” underlined François Desquesnes (Les Engagés), while pointing out that the minister should have been aware of the alarming rates in view of the various exchanges and meetings. “Your defense of saying you didn’t know is not credible. And I cannot support your way of doing things: for me, it is shocking to put all the responsibility on a collaborator,” said Jacqueline Galant (MR, member of the Walloon majority).
“This employee is extremely proactive, he acted and took measures,” insisted Céline Tellier. But he made a mistake as did his counterpart in the administration and at the SWDE. His only mistake was political and communication. This is not a personal fault, but a cultural fault. We need to change the approach in our offices to strengthen vigilance.”
Faced with the lack of feedback on the problem of Pfas in running water, for which the minister had requested an analysis, why did she not herself ensure proactive monitoring for two years? “I’m sorry I didn’t get any news. Perhaps I was careless. That’s it,” concluded the minister.
PFAS pollution: Brainois authorities recommend not drinking tap water in Ronquières
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