Mind the Tap: Why water must be central to the climate debate

Utility Week today launches a new campaign examining how we can overturn public apathy about the need to reduce water consumption. Mind the Tap aims to unite the water sector in a common cause, unlock the right messages to connect with consumers and set out clear demands for government.

We are running out of water. Fast. The global population continues to boom and parts of the UK, particularly London and the southeast, are saturated. Areas in the south are more water scarce than Morocco and despite a winter of heavy rain and floods, half the population lives in a drought region.

Environment Agency chief executive James Bevan delivered a powerful speech at Waterwise’s conference last March warning how soon the taps could run dry. The “Jaws of Death” had its moment in the mainstream media and seemed to be the catalyst for action, but habits haven’t changed overnight. Next week, Waterwise will again host its conference with the urgency increased as public awareness of the climate crisis grows.

Yet too often water scarcity is overlooked in the climate emergency. This is why Utility Week has launched Mind the Tap and thrown our weight behind the campaigning efforts of Affinity Water – as we seek to unite the industry in finding a way to translate stark facts into real action.

The challenges of landing the water scarcity message exist despite what is already a concerted effort by the water companies and the priorities set by the Environment Agency and Ofwat.

The average personal consumption in 2018/19 was 143 litres per person per day (l/pp/pd) – up two litres on the previous year, but lower than a decade ago suggesting habits can be changed. There are regional variations from 130 to 163 l/pp/pd according to Discover Water, but all are consistently higher than the proposed Target 100 from Southern Water.

As part of the 2019 price review Ofwat set individual company targets to reduce per capita consumption by an average of 6.3 per cent by 2025 – although some targets were far higher.

Affinity Water has higher than average usage in its catchment and launched a campaign to get individual usage down to 110 litres per day, naming it #WhyNotWater.

For real change to be effected, the sector needs to speak with a common voice and Utility Week believes that the goals identified by Affinity could be supported by companies across the country.

The first plank of #WhyNotWater is acknowledged across the sector as the best way to reduce per capita consumption (PCC), help consumers make better choices and play their part in saving water – a mandatory water labelling scheme.

A voluntary scheme exists, but has not made a significant impact, therefore the UK must follow the examples of Australia, Singapore, China, New Zealand, Ireland and Israel by legislating that white goods and bathroom products carry a label that explains, at point of sale, what the water consumption is. Providing this information will let customers make an informed choice about what they buy and raise awareness of water efficiency as part of daily life as well as encouraging manufacturers to consider efficiency at the design stage. It worked with the energy rating label, why not water?

Affinity’s second aim is to encourage landlords to install energy efficient devices in rented accommodation to help tenants save money and help the environment.

Thirdly, #WhyNotWater wants to ensure products are installed correctly and products should not be available to buy that are not permitted under plumbing legislation.

Finally, in severely water stressed areas, building planning should take a “common-sense” approach to water to ensure new build homes and offices are designed with the PCC target of 110 litres.

Over the coming weeks, we will be elaborating on these goals as well as talking to leading lights of the sector and external experts about how we break through the communication barrier and establish water efficiency as a key plank of sustainability.

We welcome feedback from Utility Week readers and your suggestions as to how we can achieve our common aims.