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Deputy First Minister pledges cleaner rivers

Friday, 23 January 2026 at 12:34

By Bro Radio Newsroom

WG

The Deputy First Minister has told a summit at Hensol Castle that Wales will benefit from cleaner rivers.

The Welsh Government is preparing to set out its plans for a new dedicated regulator next month, which will replace Ofwat.

Huw Irranca Davies told the water summit that work was underway to improve quality by making agricultural pollution rules clearer.

The climate change secretary said: "Water is at the heart of Welsh life, our communities, our farms, our wildlife, our sense of place - and as we all know, it is under pressure."

"The challenges we face are complex, interconnected and longstanding. But the work underway across government, regulators, industry, NGOs and farming unions gives me confidence that we are moving with purpose and in partnership." 

Last year, an independent commission called for an overhaul of water regulation in both Wales and England - with the new body expected to be stand-alone or integrated into the environmental body, Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

The Welsh Government says changes to agricultural pollution rules will make them "clearer, more proportionate and better focused" on high risk activities.

The Deputy FM added: "Our ambition is clear: healthier rivers, a sustainable and profitable farming sector, thriving rural communities, a regulatory system that is fair, proportionate and enforceable, and new economic opportunities in nature-based investment and environmental markets."

"This is a collective mission. No one sector created the problem, and no one sector can solve it. But together, with the right evidence, the right investment, the right incentives and the right regulation, we can restore Wales's waterbodies to the healthy, living systems that our communities, our wildlife and our economy deserve."

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