DAERA Minister introduces innovative system
to streamline public reporting and investigation of environmental
issues.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
(DAERA) has unveiled a new online reporting form designed to make
it easier for the public to alert authorities to environmental
incidents.
To access the new system please visit: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/daera-environmental-incident-reporting-system.
The new system removes the need for users to search the DAERA
website for the appropriate contact and guides those wishing to
report an environmental issue through a series of questions,
capturing the key information required to investigate incidents
and efficiently triage reports to the correct team.
It provides a single point of access for reporting environmental
incidents such as illegal waste activities, amenity issues from
regulated sites, damage being caused to designated habitats,
illegal fishing, or environmental damage to a marine area.
When accessed via a mobile device, the form can automatically
capture location data and allows users to upload photographs,
making it particularly suitable for reporting incidents in real
time.
Upon submission, users receive an automatic acknowledgement,
including an incident reference number for follow-up. The system
then allocates the report to the appropriate Departmental triage
team depending on the type of incident - land, air, inland
waterways, or marine. Incident reports can then be assigned
swiftly to a team or individual to investigate.
The system also includes a case management function with workflow
and document management capabilities, enabling all records
associated with an incident to be stored centrally.
DAERA Minister commented on the launch,
saying: I am delighted to announce the launch of this new system,
which will help provide my Department with an enhanced level of
detail to enable a more effective response and investigation to
environmental incidents by improving the quality of information
at the point of submission.
Minister Muir added: The introduction of an online reporting form
will also make it easier for the public to alert us to
environmental incidents, enabling more timely investigation. At
this stage, the new system does not yet cover the reporting of
Water Pollution Incidents, however these will be incorporated in
due course. In the meantime, members of the public should
continue to report suspected water pollution incidents through
the existing NIEA Incident Hotline on 0800 80 70 60,
available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
