Water quality is a growing concern amid cutbacks

Recently the Scottish Government shockingly announced the decision to abandon its 2030 climate target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent.

This relaxation in commitment to cut emissions could worryingly contribute to climate change and see increasingly extreme weather conditions, exacerbating the problem instead of trying to fix it while we still can in this pivotal moment.

Rising rainfall in the coming years is a particular concern, especially when flooding is a prospect many Edinburgh residents may be concerned about, with the potential for the Water of Leith to burst its banks in rainier months.

This increased rainfall could also impact water quality in the Water of Leith. In total 262 complaints about sewage in water in the Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders areas were made between July 2022 and September 2023.

Campaigners including SOS Leith, who receive support from the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS), have raised concerns that this problem could be attributed to Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) releasing sewage into waterways when the system becomes overwhelmed by excess rainwater.

According to Scottish Water, there are 67 CSOs on the Water of Leith, having the potential to pollute the water during periods of rain. Silt in the Water of Leith may also hold pathogens released by CSOs, creating dangerous water quality detrimental to the wildlife and river ecosystem.

Scottish Water has only upgraded 14 CSOs between Balerno and Corstorphine, citing cost and other complexities as reasons to not have a more extensive plan for upgrading CSOs and tackling river pollution. For campaigners, not enough is being done.

In January, SOS Leith said “Despite providing irrefutable evidence of faecal contamination in water and silt samples from the river, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly dismissed our complaints.”

The SNP decision to axe the 2030 climate target could mean more rainfall, more flooding and in turn the potential for more sewage to enter the Water of Leith. This, in combination with Scottish Water’s inadequate upgrades to CSOs and SEPA’s lack of accountability, could only cause these issues to be exacerbated in the coming years.

We need clarity, accountability and real change by Scottish Water and SEPA, with refreshed and realistic climate action commitments by the SNP government, to ensure the quality of the Water of Leith gets better, not worse. We must see sustained climate action to improve the wellbeing of Scotland and Edinburgh residents, now.