NEW RESERVOIRS HAVE PUT US ON COURSE FOR CONFLICT

As creaking infrastructure, leakages and a growing population create a dwindling water crisis, the Government has responded by fast-tracking nine new infrastructure projects. But farmers and environmentalists say we must preserve our most precious resource in other ways

- By Toby Codd

BRITAIN is facing a water emergency. Across England and Wales alone, just under three billion litres of water is being lost each day due to leaks equivalent to around 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools. In addition to deteriorating and ageing pipes some as old as the Victorian era - there is an increased need for water due to a growing population. According to the Office for National Statistics, the population will hit 72.5 million by 2032, up from 67.6 million in 2022.

A warming climate is also having an impact, with hotter and drier summers reducing the amount of water in reservoirs and rivers. The last time a reservoir was built in England was 1992. The Government has warned that without appropriate action, the country could run out of drinking water by the mid-2030s.

"We need to take water security seriously and we desperately need investment in these projects," says Amy Fairman, the head of campaigns at River Action. "When London runs out of water and it's not an if it's going to cost the economy £50billion a day."

Crumbling infrastructure and a lack of governance lie at the heart of the problem. Unlike in Scotland, where it is publically owned, water in England and Wales was privatised in 1989, creating 10 regional water authorities. Fast forward 26 years and these water companies have accumulated more than £60billion in debt. Research from the University of Greenwich reveals that households in England are paying over £2billion more every year for their water bills than if the companies had remained under government ownership. No wonder then that a poll in 2017 showed that 83% of the public were in favour of renationalising water services.

Ms Fairman says water companies are prioritising shareholder capital over investment and public welfare, citing a "chronic underinvestment in infrastructure" since Carsington Reservoir was finished in Derbyshire in 1992.