Advisory commission points to "key challenges" for water infrastructure

Government advisor, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has pointed to “key challenges” for the water sector in flood risk, asset management and pollution incidents from water and sewerage.

The outlook emerged from a recently published state-of-play report on the UK’s infrastructure by the commission. At the launch of the Baseline Report – part of the NIC’s preparations fo its second, five-yearly assessment of the nation’s utility, communications and transport networks – NIC chair, Sir John Armitt outlined “three strategic themes of reaching net zero, climate resilience and the environment, and supporting levelling up.”

The report lists nine key challenges for the NIC’s second National Infrastructure Assessment in 2023 which include, for the water sector directly:

• all sectors will need to take the opportunities of new digital technologies;

• good asset management will be crucial as the effects of climate change increase; and

• action is needed to improve surface water management as flood risk increases.

Under “areas where there is more to be done” the report includes;

• asset maintenance issues undermine performance in some sectors;

• more than three million properties in England are at risk from surface water flooding; and

• serious pollution incidents from water and sewerage are unacceptably high.

The NIC forecasts that “new and emerging technologies will offer opportunities across sectors,” and pledges that it will carry out “cross cutting analysis on all its recommendations for the second Assessment.” That analysis, it says, will take in the impact of each of its recommendations on: household bills, public investment, emissions, and impacts on different social groups and regions.

The commission has issued a call for evidence for its study on surface water flooding. Its terms of reference note the risks of “serious pollution to rivers and coastal waters with impacts on environmental quality, biodiversity, and public health and amenities” and includes specific reference to helping manage sewage overflows.

See the December issue of THE WATER REPORT where we look at the consumers’ part in infrastructure planning.