Friday, January 16, 2004
Finding out about both ends of a process
I spent a very productive morning visiting venues in my region. I started off in the new West Glamorgan Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (WGCADA) Offices in Bridgend. Once I had navigated the notorious one-way system and found somewhere to park I had an enjoyable hour looking around their premises and discussing expansion plans and Drug and Alcohol policy in Wales. We concluded that there are three priorities that the Assembly needs to address in this area. Firstly, to sort out where all the money is going as it is not reaching the front line workers; Secondly, to get a capital programme in place to fund centres like the ones run by WGCADA with needle exchanges, counselling, treatment etc; and thirdly, to get more detox beds - there are only five for the whole of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend. I had visited Brynhawel House in Llanharry on Friday as well. This is a residential rehabilitation facility concentrating mostly on alcohol. A fourth priority came out of that visit - to get more residential rehabilitation places in Wales.
Following this visit I went to see the other end of Alcohol consumption - the Sewage Works at Ogmore by Sea. This plant has generated some complaints about odour so I went to find out for myself what measures are being put in place to try and limit and control this side effect. I have never been this close up to a sewage works before and, apart from having to hold my nose occasionally, found the whole experience fascinating. This plant serves 160,000 people and copes with 32,000 cubic metres of sewage each day in dry weather, 96,000 cubic metres when it is wet. On average they told me that they deal with 200 litres of sewage per head per day. If we really generated that much each then we would all spend 24 hours, 7 days a week on the toilet!
Following this visit I went to see the other end of Alcohol consumption - the Sewage Works at Ogmore by Sea. This plant has generated some complaints about odour so I went to find out for myself what measures are being put in place to try and limit and control this side effect. I have never been this close up to a sewage works before and, apart from having to hold my nose occasionally, found the whole experience fascinating. This plant serves 160,000 people and copes with 32,000 cubic metres of sewage each day in dry weather, 96,000 cubic metres when it is wet. On average they told me that they deal with 200 litres of sewage per head per day. If we really generated that much each then we would all spend 24 hours, 7 days a week on the toilet!
