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Thames desalination inquiry opens
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| The inquiry will look at plans to turn water from the Thames into drinking water |
LONDON faces a "high risk" of severe water shortages unless salt water from the Thames is turned into fresh water, a public inquiry into building the UK's first desalination plant will be told today.
Thames Water, which supplies water to almost four million homes in the capital, said a desalination plant was "the only way to provide London with the extra water supply it needs, quickly enough, and at an acceptable cost".
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has already blocked plans by Newham Council to build a £200 million desalination plant on the banks of the Thames in Beckton, east London.
The Mayor will tell the inquiry today that the "energy guzzling" plant would add to global warming.
Thames Water's external affairs and environment director Richard Aylard said the current drought showed that London's water supply was inadequate and the Mayor underestimated the risk of severe water shortages.
"Without (desalination) the capital will face an entirely unnecessary risk of shortages, which we cannot allow," he said.
Low rainfall over the last 18 months has already led to a hosepipe ban and experts have warned that with the hot summer months approaching we could be facing the worst drought for 100 years.
The inquiry will hear that rapid population growth and rise in the amount of water used have combined to create a shortfall in supplies.
But Mr Livingstone said the plant would not help London's current drought crisis because it would not be operational until 2009 at the earliest.
| “They also underestimate the risk of severe water shortages and are complacent about the effect this would have on Londoners and the city’s economy.” | | Richard Aylard of Thames Water |
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"We are already facing the effects of climate change which is putting a strain on our water resources. We cannot fight climate change by building a desalination plant which will worse the problem by pumping 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," he said.
In his submission to the inquiry, the Mayor attacked Thames Water's record on fixing water leaks.
The Mayor argued it was wasteful to extract water from the River Thames and use energy to desalinate it for drinking, when 915 million litres of clean, purified water is lost through leakage under London's streets every day.
Mr Aylard said this morning that the alternative options suggested by the Mayor and his witnesses were "inadequate".
"They also underestimate the risk of severe water shortages and are complacent about the effect this would have on Londoners and the city's economy," he said.
Thames Water has given the Mayor an assurance that it would meet his own policy for 10 per cent of the energy needs of the plant come from renewable sources.
"It takes the same energy to produce only two litres of bottled water as the desalination plant would need to supply a family of four for a day," Mr Aylard said.
The Planning Inspectorate's public inquiry, to be held at City Aviation House, London City Airport, in east London, is expected to last up to five weeks.
10:29am Tuesday 23rd May 2006
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CommentPosted by: barrie on 7:27am Sat 17 May 08
UK needs www.windesal.com
There has been much talk about climate change, but not much about where we will see its first impact.
Flooding ,Drought, water is the vector of climate change, we already have seen in recent times in many areas of
Australia/Worldwide areas where there is intense competition for water, Windesal® can sustain many areas of Australia/Worldwide that will be impacted by this issue, that may suffer physically or economically from this lack of fresh water shortage.
Windesal® can deal efficiently in way to lead the greatest single issue of the 21st Century: Sustainability.
UK needs www.windesal.com
There has been much talk about climate change, but not much about where we will see its first impact.
Flooding ,Drought, water is the vector of climate change, we already have seen in recent times in many areas of
Australia/Worldwide areas where there is intense competition for water, Windesal® can sustain many areas of Australia/Worldwide that will be impacted by this issue, that may suffer physically or economically from this lack of fresh water shortage.
Windesal® can deal efficiently in way to lead the greatest single issue of the 21st Century: Sustainability.
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