Urgent call to put water efficiency at centre of climate crisis action

An urgent call to action has been raised to get the country back on track reducing demand for water across England, not only to tackle the growing national water deficit (around four billion litres of water a day by 2050), but also to support net zero ambitions.  Nicci Russell, the independent Chair of the Senior Water Demand Reduction Group (SWDRG), has written to Government, regulators and water companies calling on them to act now and make changes that will ensure enough water is available in future for the environment, people and businesses.

The SWDRG was established by Ministers in 2020 to track progress on water demand reductions in England and to recommend if and when more action is needed to stay on track.

Nicci Russell, who is also Managing Director of water efficiency campaigning organisation Waterwise, said:

‘Water consumption in homes has increased by over 60% since the 1960s. Despite efforts to reverse this trend and to reduce demand we haven’t yet seen significant reductions – even in the few years before Covid-19, household consumption had only plateaued, and during the pandemic household demand has risen to levels not seen for nearly 20 years.

‘While there’s ongoing uncertainty about the pandemic, and whether the shift in water use from the workplace to homes will continue, what is certain is that there is an urgent need to reduce demand for water.” Click here to read the letter in full

The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) has launched a new consultation on its proposals to establish common regulatory and commercial frameworks needed for the development of strategically important water resource supply solutions.

Deadline to submit responses is 5pm Wednesday 26 January 2022.

Click here to download RAPID’s consultation paper The regulatory and commercial framework for strategic water resource solutions – a consultation