Over the last
five years, efforts to manage water supply and demand effectively
have stalled. Chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee
(EAC), , has today written to the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
requesting an update on measures such as leakage targets and
managing water consumption.
The Committee on
Climate Change has forecast that the UK’s total water supply will
drop by 7% by 2045 due to climate change. Within its recent
report on Water Supply and Demand Management, the National Audit
Office (NAO) warned that unless more concerted action is taken
now, parts of the south of England could run out of water within
the next 20 years.
The NAO
identified a number
of factors contributing to
water supply shortages, including leakage and high levels of
water consumption. Reflecting on the findings, the EAC has put
the following to the Government:
· The
NAO has warned targets to reduce leakage by 15% or more by 2025
may be unachievable for some water companies. How does the
Government intend to monitor progress of water companies to
ensure that leakage targets are met?
· In
2018, DEFRA announced plans to establish a personal water
consumption target for households but
it is yet to be introduced. The Committee asks why has there been
a delay, and when it is expected?
· In
leading a national approach, how DEFRA will provide stronger
leadership to water companies, regulators and consumers to reduce
the consumption of water?
Chairman of
the Environmental Audit Committee, MP,
said:
“We cannot
ignore the stark warnings outlined within the NAO’s report, which
should act as a wake-up call that more must be done to prevent
the country running out of
water. Despite
such a wet twelve months culminating in this February’s floods,
this month looks set to be the most dry April on record in the
UK, with forecasters predicting 2020 to be the warmest year since
records began.
“From
monitoring progress by water companies in reducing leakage, to
showing leadership in managing consumption amongst companies and
consumers alike, there are a number of important steps the
Government can be taking.
“My
Committee will keep pressure on Government to ensure
it is doing
all it can to guarantee future water
supply.”
Within the
letter, the Committee welcomes a £469 million investment to
support water companies to develop a strategic approach to
transferring water between different water resource areas, which
could be part of the measures
needed to increase resilience of supply. This will
continue to be monitored by the
Committee.
Notes:
· All
correspondence is published on the Committee’s
website: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/62/environmental-audit-committee/publications/3/correspondence/
