Water UK has started work with the Water and Wastewater Resilience Action Group (WWRAG), set up following a recommendation from Ofwat's independent Resilience Task and Finish Group.

Chaired by Tim Broyd, the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Professor of Built Environment Foresight at University College London, the group will consider best practice and leading thought on resilience across the water sector.

WWRAG will take advice from as wide a range of interested parties as possible, and will actively seek input from thought leaders within the water sector and from outside.

The group will provide clear guidance on where it considers parts of the sector have achieved best practice, and where innovation and thought leadership has been lacking.

The Group has met for the first time and has already started projects on land management post-CAP, resilience research and qualitative metrics for resilience in the water industry. Outputs of the group will recommend actions and will occur regularly throughout the year.

Tim Broyd commented:

"I am delighted to be working on this critical subject. Resilience is a real and current issue for the services customers rely on and I am looking forward to making strong progress with the group."

Water UK's Director of Environment, who is a member of the group, Sarah Mukherjee, added:

“A resilient water sector providing secure supplies of water and returning treated wastewater to the environment is crucial for health, the environment and the economy - but the water industry can't do this on its own. Collaborative work of this kind across the sector is the way forward."

Other members include Innes Thomson from the Association of Drainage Authorities, Nicci Russell, Ofwat, Richard Aylard of Thames Water and Tony Rachwal from the UK Water Partnership.