Water mess

Once more upon the waters, yet once more!

It’s been a while since I last dived into this topic (sorry), but I thought it was about time to revisit the wretched question: how the heck do we sort out the mess our water sector has found itself in?

I’m not the only one pondering this. In October, the Government set up an independent commission on the water sector regulatory system, and called for evidence to be presented by interested and affected parties.

Chaired by Sir Jon Cunliffe, the commission covers the strategic management of water and the water industry in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland’s waters being dealt with separately for reasons that are lost in the mists of time.

The Commission’s job is to focus on reforms to improve the current model. Re-nationalisation of the water industry is not on the table. The Government has been clear that. Very clear. As well as Sir Jon, the Commission also includes an advisory group of nominated experts covering areas such as the environment, public health, investments, engineering, economics and water users has also been appointed.

What’s that – you missed it? You’re not alone. The Call To Evidence was not exactly proclaimed from the rooftops. There was no massive publicity campaign, nor social media posts to gather in opinions from as wide an audience as possible. It was more that if you were in-the-know, so to speak, you knew. I only found out because someone sent me the link (you know who you are. Thank you!) The more cynical amongst you might think that this was deliberate. I couldn’t possibly comment.

Water is essential to society. To health. To life. Climate change, increasing populations, ageing infrastructure, and the expectations of higher standards all mean that meeting the water sector challenges are going to be getting more challenging rather than less as time goes on.

Among the very, very many words written in the introduction to the setting up of the commission was an acknowledgment that “it is clear the water sector and, more broadly, the framework for the overall management of water in England and Wales, are struggling with the challenges of meeting all the objectives.”

You don’t say? Whatever gives you that idea? Maybe the fact that household water bills are rocketing, yet the creaking infrastructure regularly breaks down, meaning consumers are left without water for days. Sometimes weeks. Southern Water, I’m looking at you. Maybe the fact that some of the water companies are teetering on a knife-edge – despite the hideous increase in charges – between solvency and insolvency. Thames Water is the biggest culprit here, but the others are nearly as bad. Southern Water’s customers – yes, I’m one so this next sentence hurts, are seeing their bills rise by nearly 50% this year. Maybe the fact that our rivers, streams and seas are regularly so polluted with waste products that they are almost bereft of wildlife. How is it possible that a company can be so rubbish at one of the fundamental functions of its business that a trip to the seaside becomes a game of floater-roulette? Anglian Water, I’m looking at you. And you, Southern Water, and you, United Utilities. And, well, it’s the whole bally lot of you.

We do get some things right. The United Kingdom has some of the highest quality drinking water in the world. Potable water from a tap in this country does not come with any of the risks that rest of the world has to deal with. Why we continue to use so much perfectly drinkable water to wash our clothes and flush our loos is a whole different issue.

Water is what we need to function as humans and as a society. And its supply has been treated as just another commodity, ever since the Thatcher government handed over control of the water companies, wiping out all the debts as she did so, to the private sector. Which begs the question, if the companies stated out having had the debt cleared, how the hell did they end up in the financial mess they are in? Did they just not realise that hundred-year-old pipe systems would need to be upgraded? That changing demographics would mean the water infrastructure would need to work harder and more efficiently?

Or were the shareholders, the pension companies, the private equity firms, the venture capitalists all so blinded by the thought of all that lovely money they could make off the back of water consumers’ bills that they couldn’t see beyond trousering the cash? The more cynical amongst you might think that was the case. I couldn’t possibly comment.