National Infrastructure Commission Chair Sir John Armitt has called for more action on leaks, compulsory metering and the need for new infrastructure to tackle major water resource challenges in England.
In a comment piece for The Times’ newspaper, Sir John sets out steps to help reduce the risk of future severe drought in England. He argues for further action on identifying leaks, expanding water metering and reducing consumer demand, and building new supply and transfer infrastructure.
The proposals reflect the recommendations made by the Commission to government in its 2018 report, Preparing for a Drier Future. The Commission set out its latest appraisal of progress on improving the resilience of water networks in its 2022 Infrastructure Progress Review.
Describing the current drought and risks of water shortages as “a failure of resilience planning”, the NIC Chief is calling for ”a serious look” at supply, demand and distribution and warning that an additional four billion litres of water per day by 2050 will be needed in England alone to avoid extreme drought.
On leakage, Sir John said that while three quarters of water companies had hit their most recent targets for identifying and fixing leaks, one in four failed, commenting:
“Ofwat, the water regulator, must continue to hold these monopolies’ feet to the fire.”
Referring to what he describes as “reluctance by government to commit to compulsory water metering”, according to the NIC Chief this shows the need for a public debate about risks, solutions and costs.
“Little has been done”, he suggested, to enable water companies to roll out compulsory metering beyond the areas of greatest water stress.
Sir John also flagged up the need “to invest seriously” in new reservoirs and transfer infrastructure saying that both Government and regulators “need to accelerate the delivery of such schemes.”
He concluded by pointing out that the National Infrastructure Commission has calculated that more than £20 billion of investment in new infrastructure alongside leak reduction is needed over the next 30 years, warning that “the alternative – of doing nothing and hoping for the best – is a likely bill of £40 billion over the next 30 years for emergency maintenance and water supplies.”
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