Water, water everywhere, or so it used to be.
Following on from the UK Government’s White paper, ‘Water for Life’ announced earlier in December, DEFRA’s committee of MPs have urged businesses to respond to its proposals before the consultation ends on 23rd of January.
Water for Life’s wide ranging proposals are designed to overhaul the water industry, opening it up for competition between water companies, encouraging inter-catchment, water transfer as well as some direct environmental and social objectives.
Announced while some parts of theUKwere still in ‘drought’, Water for Life’s proposal to revise extraction rules and prevent rivers running dry have particularly drawn attention. On the business agenda, suggested market reforms have been formulated to increase access to markets for new water suppliers. There will also be encouragement for more sustainable drainage schemes in new developments. On the home-front new social tariffs for people struggling to pay bills and facing bad debt are proposed. Action on the water demand side is more muted. Householders are to be encouraged to install dual-flush toilets and garden water butts, but water efficiency in business gets a full five and a half lines. Perhaps that is why the MP’s are urging businesses to contribute.