Leading environmental think-tank and charity Sustainability First has said there is a pressing need for an action plan to address the UK’s future water shortfall.

Commenting in a new podcast for Affinity Water, David Murray, Executive Director of Sustainability First, said the UK must adapt to cope with the problems of demand and supply in the water sector and climate change and that government and regulators should be doing more.

Without action, the area Affinity Water supplies could face a shortfall of up to 449 million litres a day by 2050.

Affinity Water’s new Draft Water Resources Management Plan, which is currently out to consultation feeds into regional plans which are also being drawn up for the East and South East.

The plan’s actions include reducing customer demand, driving leakage down further than ever before, metering, significant investment in new infrastructure for new sources of water and working across the water industry to plan and share resources regionally.

Urging people to get involved and respond to the consultation which runs for 14 weeks until 20th February 2023, David Murray explained:

“It’s really important that people get their voice heard on this important plan which impacts every home and business in Affinity’s area.

“It is so easy to turn on the tap and get water that we don’t think about it. These things are completely taken for granted in powerhouse nations, and the risk therefore is that we undervalue water in every sense. How much it costs to get that potable water through our taps to drink it, and the waste management of it as it goes back out into that environmental cycle again to come back to us to use. Providing clean reliable water to our homes and businesses is increasingly going to be a challenge as climate change hits. Water is a massive issue when it comes to sustainability in so many ways.”

According to the Sustainability First Director, the water sector is facing a communication challenge to get people to understand the true value of water and the public and businesses need to get behind water efficiency measures and change their behaviours.

David Murray continued:

“ The impact of our individual behaviours, the benefits of being more water efficient, and the risks we run if we don’t, need to be better communicated.

“Water tends to be one of people’s smaller bills relative to other costs such as energy and perhaps consequently people give it even less thought. Many people don’t think about where water comes from or understand its importance. To meet the challenges of the future will require investment, and likely bill rises. This is a very difficult conversation to have, especially in a cost-of-living crisis. But it is a conversation we need to have.

“We need to support consumers to change their behaviour. That means simple messaging, clearly demonstrating the benefits of action including what’s in it for them and being clear about the risks if we don’t take action. Also, water companies have to play their part too as they can’t expect customers to respond to their messaging if they are polluting our water ways and wasting water through leakage.“

Click here to listen to the podcast