Water minister envisages a green, digital and circular future

(by Karma Loveday)

Water minister Emma Hardy’s vision for water in 2050 features widespread reuse, nature-based solutions, data-driven insights and embedded innovation. “Above all, it recognises water as a strategic national asset — essential to public health, environmental protection and economic growth. An asset that must be effectively managed for the long term.”

Hardy set out this stall last week at the World Water Tech Summit in London. She said: “Our vision for 2050 is a digitally enabled, resilient, and adaptive water system. One that uses data, technology, and innovation to anticipate risk, optimise performance, and deliver better outcomes for people and the environment. To get there, innovation cannot sit on the edges of the system. It has to become core to how water works.”

Hardy went on to identify five enablers: 

• “First, we must rethink how water is used, reused, and valued. Our Water White Paper makes clear that a system ready for the future is one where demand reduction and efficiency are fully embedded across households, industry, and agriculture. Water reuse, recycling, and alternative supplies will play a growing role, supported by new treatment technologies, smarter regulation, and greater public confidence. Innovation here is essential – not just in engineering, but in how systems are designed, financed, and operated… It’s about shifting towards a more circular system, where wastewater is increasingly treated as a resource, and where reuse, recovery and resilience are built in from the start through stronger regional planning.” 

• “Second, nature and technology must work together, not in competition… By combining human ingenuity with nature-based solutions, we can tackle multiple challenges at once: cutting pollution, strengthening climate resilience, and protecting the ecosystems on which our water system ultimately depends… By 2050, these approaches should be a standard part of water system design. Digital tools will allow us to measure impact, manage performance, and deploy solutions at scale with confidence. The future is not a choice between grey or green infrastructure, but an intelligent combination of both.”

• “Third, the future water system must be data-driven. By 2050, we should expect real-time visibility across the entire system, from catchments and rivers, to networks, treatment works, and customer demand. Advanced sensors, smart meters, satellite data, and AI-enabled analytics give us the ability to predict failures before they happen, optimise flows dynamically, and target investment precisely where it delivers the greatest impact. This is not about technology for its own sake. It is about moving from reactive maintenance to predictive, preventative management. Reducing leakage, cutting pollution incidents, lowering costs, improving resilience.”

• “Fourth, innovation needs the right market conditions to scale and investors need confidence.” She said the Government was creating the conditions for investment to flourish, including through longer-term planning cycles, opening up competition for major projects, and making returns fairer and more predictable. 

• “Finally, delivering on this vision depends on partnership… We are focused on creating the conditions for long-term thinking, smarter regulation, and faster adoption of proven solutions. We are open to new ideas, new technologies, new partnerships.”

  
  

Hardy urged: “This is our chance to be part of real national renewal after years of decline.”