Displaying items by tag: water

Ofwat, the water regulator, has announced a draft decision on how much water companies in England can raise consumer bills over the next five years. The regulator has imposed stricter oversight on Thames Water, due to its financial crisis and £18bn debt: Thames may need to limit debt, split the company, or seek equity through public listing. Thames had requested a 40% bill hike to stabilise finances, but Ofwat allowed only 21% over five years. Ofwat’s decisions came just hours before the bosses of sixteen water companies met the new environment secretary, Steve Reed, amid rising public anger and political scrutiny over the state of the UK’s water industry, which has also caused outcry over sewage pollution. Reed's proposed measures include ring-fencing water infrastructure funding exclusively for upgrades and changing company rules to prioritise customers' interests.

The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has said the problem of water supply and sanitation illustrates why South Africa ‘is one of the most unequal countries in the world.’ He also described drought as one of the biggest risks facing South Africa’s businesses, causing food shortages, price increases and the loss of jobs for casual workers. He was speaking at the launch in London of an international church initiative to raise awareness and activism about challenges such as flooding, drought, rising tides, or access to fresh water and sanitation. The archbishop said a water crisis back home, with only three months’ supply left because of diminished rainfall, had concentrated his mind on how precious water is and on how devastating the effects of scarcity can be. He added, ‘Many of the threats to water are coming from companies who pollute rivers with industrial pollution. The shareholders of mining companies make a profit, but the local communities are left with water degradation. As a Church we stand firmly against fracking, since for short-term profit there is a danger of water systems being polluted for decades. Large corporate farms are also responsible, as artificial fertilisers and pesticides pollute the rivers,’ he said.