Politicians should listen to Engineers on the Wastewater Crisis

The current wastewater crisis has hit the headlines again with Construction Employers Federation CEO, Mark Spence, appearing on the BBC’s The View describing how drastic the situation is at present.

Towards the end of July, I had written the piece for Slugger Drainage Problems Present Existential Threat to Northern Ireland PLC… – Slugger O’Toole (sluggerotoole.com) about how this issue threatens social housebuilding, commerce and our economy in general.

It is therefore disappointing that the Programme for Government provided so little detail on what the solution is to this huge problem, so I am now asking the question:

Should Engineers just get on with their job or should they be debating and campaigning on the big issues of the day like the wastewater crisis?

It’s certainly a dilemma. Engineers often feel constrained about speaking out on a particular issue due to a potential conflict of interest they believe they might have with a project they are working on. Or maybe they are worried about how their comments could be interpreted by their client on a framework or possibly a framework their company hopes to win.

These are genuine concerns which need to be taken seriously. The miscommunication of an idea or a misunderstanding of one’s intention could lead to embarrassment or, even worse, a reprimand. Not to mention how their views are perceived in an individual company. Could a more junior engineer be accused of getting above their paygrade by the various layers of management above them?

Raising one’s head above the slide rule is not easy, but what are the consequences if engineers do not express their views on climate change, sustainable transport, drainage issues, economic development and a whole range of other issues that they know about?

Yes, engineers have knowledge about these matters and, more importantly, they care about these issues, often passionately. This is why they often want to have their voice heard and use their expertise to explain the big challenges in infrastructure, rail, roads, building, housing, retail and, mostly importantly just now, wastewater.

But perhaps a traditional or conservative approach may have held them back or maybe they have tried to express their views before but didn’t receive the right sort of feedback or thought they hadn’t been successful. Whatever the reason, it is certainly a shame that more engineers do not get involved in public debate.

But we must also acknowledge and praise those engineers who have come out of their slip trenches on a range of different issues and have been heard by policy-makers, politicians and the public.

Increasingly engineers find themselves specialising in one field of engineering, like structural or environmental engineering, or electrical and civil engineering, and that is why it is so important that we have a variety of voices on these big issues. We should also encourage more engineers to become councillors or politicians, where they can use their in-depth knowledge to help organisations and governments make better decisions. More engineers could be in the public arena and there are other options.

For example, social media has changed everything. No longer do we need to persuade a trade magazine or newspaper editor to print our stories or reflect our views, you can do it yourself in a range of ways including technical posts, produce a short video, review an important event or express your views on the various social media platforms. This is already happening to an extent, but more can be achieved.

What do I think? Well, I believe that society is poorer without these voices. These voices can provide balance and highlight some of the realities and inequalities in life. They are needed to explain complex issues like the operation and funding of our wastewater systems and help keep the train on the economic tracks.

So, should engineers speak up and do their small bit to resolve this crisis or should they keep their hardhat-heads down?

Cllr Brian Pope is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a former councillor on Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council