Publishing Defra's Annual Departmental Report 2008, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has reaffirmed Defra's commitment to helping people live within their environmental means and acknowledged the role of staff in some key achievements over the past year.
Hilary Benn said: "Over the past year we have made significant progress on climate change and protecting natural resources. We have seen improvement in the Rural Payments Agency on single farm payments, the tremendous efforts of the Department, Environment Agency and other services' staff during the summer floods and the professional response to disease outbreaks.
"Our two new Public Service Agreement targets show the recognition across government of the importance of tackling climate change and enhancing the natural environment.
"We are committed to tackling climate change, and the Bali Conference demonstrated that there is an international will to act. In the UK, we are bringing in the Climate Change Bill, and helping people to move to a low carbon lifestyle through information, advice and assistance. We are also supporting environmentally friendly farming with the Rural Development Programme, which will invest £3.9 billion over the coming years."
Hilary Benn also highlighted the draft Marine Bill and the development of a strategy for the protection and management of water as key achievements.
ABB has launched AquaMaster+™, a digital platform for smart water network management, designed to help water utilities monitor, analyze and manage their water networks, preventing pipeline water losses and optimizing operations.
Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets.
Albion Water, the first NAV (New Appointment & Variation) to have been established in1999 and now under the ownership of SDS Water Group, has appointed Andy Holland as its new Director of Business Development.
UK water companies are invited to join an upcoming webinar which will explore how the sector can take indirect potable reuse (IPR) from concept to full-scale operational reality.
Southern Water has released film and images showing what it’s like to walk inside Hampshire’s expanded Yew Hill underground reservoir for the very last time, before it gets filled with water.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.