InfrastructureU.K. government, water companies mismanage water supply, treatment
Report says water is becoming more expensive, there is massive waste in the system, infrastructure was not in a state to cope with flooding and at the same time some parts of the country could expect to face severe droughts
A U.K. local government
think-tank says that the
government and water companies are waking up to some hard truths about water
supply and treatment. The London-based Local Government
Information Unit says councils and local
people still have no control over water management in their areas. The LgiU
said a new report from the all party parliamentary water group, led by former
agriculture minister Elliot Morley, had bluntly described the scale of the
challenge. Water was becoming more expensive, there was massive waste in the
system. Infrastructure was not in a state to cope with flooding and at the same
time some parts of the country could expect to face severe droughts.
The think-tank said the solutions suggested in the report concentrated
on universal metering of water combined with a system of social tariffs. Dr.
Andy Johnston, head of the LGiU’s Center for Local Sustainability, said the
report was, at last, some recognition of the connection between the management
of essential natural resources like water and social justice. He added, “This
report identifies specific roles for local government in flood management,
protection of critical infrastructure and support for communities. Local
communities can influence where developers build and the ‘greenness’ of the buildings
through the planning system but still have little say about water management in
their area.”
