CLLR. NISHANT CHANDOLIA SECURES HISTORIC WIN TO CLEAN UP ABERYSTWYTH’S RIVERS AND COAST – Cllr. Nishant Chandolia has secured a major victory for the Aberystwyth community, winning unanimous cross-party support for two landmark motions to tackle the “systematic pollution” of local waterways. The motions, proposed by Cllr. Chandolia at the full Town Council meeting on 27 April 2026, follow the release of shocking data showing that the river Ystwyth was subjected to 111 sewage dumps in the last year, totalling 1,126 hours. This is the equivalent of 47 days of continuous discharge into the river.

Cllr. Nishant Chandolia, representative for Central Ward on Aberystwyth Town Council, said: “Our identity as a town is inseparable from the Rheidol, the Ystwyth and Cardigan Bay. To see raw sewage released into our harbour an average of 1.6 times per week is a failure we can no longer ignore. I brought these motions forward because we need to move beyond words. This vote gives me a formal mandate to demand better for our residents and our local businesses.”

The successful motions commit the Council to a new “Source-to-Sea” accountability strategy, led by Cllr. Chandolia, which includes:

Public Accountability: formally calling Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to a public-facing meeting to explain their 2025–2030 investment plans.

Blocking Bad Development: as Aberystwyth Town Council is a statutory consultee for planning applications, it will recommend the refusal of any new buildings that don’t include modern drainage (SuDS), to reduce the strain on the town’s Victorian sewers.

Real-Time Transparency: demanding that Dŵr Cymru provide immediate, high-frequency public alerts every time a local overflow occurs.

Blue Health First: adopting “Motion for the Ocean” principles, ensuring the health of our waters is a top priority in every council decision.

Commenting on the regional crisis, Cllr. Chandolia added: “With Ceredigion recently ranked among the most polluted areas in the UK, we are drawing a line in the sand. While other local rivers like the Teifi make headlines for the wrong reasons, I am determined to ensure the Rheidol and Ystwyth are protected from similar degradation. This is a fight for the transparency and water quality that our community deserves.”

In addition to the policy changes, Cllr. Chandolia is also championing a “Stop the Block” community campaign to help residents and businesses reduce the fats and “unflushables” that contribute to 80% of local sewer blockages.

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