John Redwood

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WATER WATER EVERYWHERE BUT NOT A DROP TO DRINK

 I will be submitting evidence to the   Parliamentary investigation into the state of our water supply and flood defences.

       My own constituency has given us plenty of warning of what is going wrong, thanks to the pattern of intense development without investment in water supply and flood control. It reflects the position in much of southern and eastern England. We are short of water to drink and use, but experience too many floods that damage homes built recently on the flood plain.

        The solutions are relatively straightforward. To secure our water supply we need to take account of rising population, and rising water use per head. There is  no need to demand  restrictions on individual water use – water is the ultimate renewable resource, with the water cycle bringing water to us and taking it back to the sea on a regular basis.

         By all means let the water companies mends their pipes, to get more water to market. We should remember, however, that mending pipes in urban areas is very disruptive to traffic and daily life, and might be ridiculously expensive. We should also expect the water industry to put in more capacity, increasing its reservoir space, and tapping new and rising  water tables through boreholes. Introducing competition into the industry would doubtless bring in the new capital needed whilst lowering prices. It would also allow experimentation and innovation. Do we really need drinking quality water pumped to our homes to clean the loo and wash the car? Would house collection systems be better for some purposes? Would two different supplies make sense in some densely populated areas, with a cheaper grey water for many purposes? The market would answer these questions if allowed to function.

          To keep us drier we need government to insist on proper flood control measures if they will persist in requiring development on flood plains. Every large scheme should not only tackle its own fast run off water but should make a contribution to the backlog of capital works needed to contain and route the run off water away from the developments. The Environment Agency needs to do a better job cleaning and maintaining the flood defences it already has, and putting in place the many schemes needed to bring relief from flooding  to all those badly affected this summer.

          I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.