RTPI CALLS FOR MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PLANS TO AVERT SOUTH EAST WATER CRISIS

The government has proposals to host up to 1 million new homes in the south east of England, a region that has low rainfall and where water is supplied through old and leaking pipes. 

A plan is needed to ensure that existing and new communities can be provided with the water they need.

The RTPI has long been calling for a major infrastructure plan to help identify investment need and provide communities and investors with certainty about whether new housing can be serviced, before its location is finally decided. 

Part of this plan will focus on big projects, but part must focus on maintaining the health of our rivers and lakes. 

Critically, it must focus on reducing household water demand, recycling some of the water we use and reusing the rainfall that we currently waste by sending into the drains.

London and the South East are currently in the grip of drought.  Good rainfall in May has not replenished our groundwater, rivers and reservoirs. We still face the prospect of widespread water restrictions.  Significant volumes of water are wasted as old pipes leaked 915 million litres of water every day last year in the Thames Water region alone.  We do not recycle much of our waste water and we send most urban rainfall straight into the drains and out to sea.  A further dry winter could cause water problems for millions of people already living in the south east and the situation could get worse if climate change continues to make the region dryer.

Rynd Smith, RTPI Head of Policy and Practice said: "London is in an arid region.  In terms of the water potentially available to each person, our capital can be compared with parts of Ethiopia or the Sudan.  Our water supply system struggles to cope with the effects of drought when supplying the existing population.  Before we decide where up to 1 million new homes are built in the south east, we need to know that we can meet current demand.  We need to know where the water to serve future needs will come from.  We also need to know that it can be obtained using economic means that do not cause unacceptable levels of environmental harm.”

Water companies have been charged with making excessive profits, an issue that was high on Environment Minister David Milliband’s agenda in his recent water summit.  However, they are also charged with delivering a massive investment program to update our ageing pipes, whilst predicting and meeting future needs. 

"Without such a plan”, said Smith, "we face the prospect of paying too much for water, of significant environmental damage due to the construction of unacceptable projects, or even of lacking the water to supply our basic needs in future droughts.  Plans should be prepared now to help the government, councils, water companies and communities provide responsibly for our future water needs.”

Ends

Press release issued: June 2 2006