Members' Business — S6M-06148 Alex Cole-Hamilton: Sewage and Scotland's Waters

That the Parliament notes the view that the natural environment deserves the highest possible protection; further notes the reports in The Ferret that untreated human waste was discharged into Scotland’s waters more than 10,000 times in 2021, including at beauty spots such as the River Almond, which passes through the Edinburgh Western constituency; considers that the true figure is likely to be much higher due to monitoring only being required, it understands, at 3% of sewage release points; understands that Scottish Environmental Protection Agency figures show that 49 of the 87 designated bathing waters around Scotland recorded levels of the faecal bacteria, E. coli, and intestinal enterococci during summer 2022 that represented a danger to the health of swimmers, surfers, paddlers and wildlife; further understands that high concentrations of such bacteria can cause stomach, ear, nose and throat infections, and notes the calls from campaigners for targets to be set to reduce discharges, for enhanced monitoring to be backed up by transparent reporting, and for the acceleration of measures to upgrade sewage systems and tackle overflows.