Long-term thinking needed to tackle blight of sewage discharges
JUST like our narrow and congested streets, Victorian pipes which take away our sewage were never intended to cope with today’s demands.
As populations have grown in our towns and cities, ageing infrastructure is being worked to capacity.
Our roads have become increasingly clogged, as has the network of sewerage pipes below ground, out of sight and mind, while treatment plants are having to deal with vast volumes of everyday waste generated by expanding numbers of homes.
And when storms strike – which they are now doing with increasing severity – things get particularly messy.
To prevent sewage backing up into homes, storm overflows are designed to release excess water following heavy rain. It means sewage can be pumped out of the system into rivers or the sea to release pressure on our pipes and prevent flooding. To switch off these release valves overnight would cause all manner of problems.
And yet the scale of discharges has rightly become an environmental cause for concern. The Environment Agency has reported that, in the last year, raw sewage was discharged into coastal waters and rivers in England more than 400,000 times, which Defra branded “unacceptable”. In our region, there were more than 40,000 such incidents.
Last week, an amendment to the current Environment Bill was tabled in the Lords which sought to place a new duty on water companies to reduce raw sewage discharges.
It failed to win over a majority of MPs, with the vote being 268 to 204, leading to a backlash against politicians on social media.
Commenting on footage of raw sewage being released, shadow Defra secretary and Plymouth MP Luke Pollard said people were “right to be upset at the dreadful state of England’s rivers”.
“Not one English river is in a healthy condition and there has been zero improvements since 2016,” he said, arguing that the Government should act to prevent water companies venting raw sewage into our rivers and sea “seemingly at will”.
The Cornwall-based campaign group Surfers Against Sewage has also spoken out on the issue. It runs an online map of discharges, and those who enjoy bathing in the sea would be wise to check this resource after heavy rain.
People are right to be disgusted by the situation. We want clean and healthy seas and rivers, and investment in new infrastructure is paramount. However, the huge and complex overhaul required will come at a price. It has been reported that it could cost between £150 billion and £160 billion to sort.
A Downing Street spokesperson said “tougher legal duties” were being placed on water companies, but that it could not “sign a blank cheque on behalf of customers without understanding the trade-offs”.
While costs could be shouldered by shareholders or the public purse, the last thing people in the South West want is to be lumped with even bigger bills. Funding wrangles aside, a plan of action must be drawn up to tackle a problem that cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.