England risks becoming a “brown and unpleasant” land if new reservoirs are not built, the water industry has warned.
The last major reservoir in England was completed in 1991. The water industry has plans for seven new reservoirs, and seven other major projects including transfer pipelines, totalling £14bn in investment, but most are still early in the planning process.that the effects of climate change were already here and that without this investment England faced an “unpleasant future”.
The National Infrastructure Commission is already warning of a one in four chance of a severe drought by 2050, which would involve severe restrictions on households, farmers and industry as well as harming nature.“Severe drought is really quite unpleasant,” said Mr Colville, “it will involve households, as well as industry, agriculture and others. And also it will mean that the environment keeps on getting battered”.
Sir James Bevan, the outgoing head of the EA has subsequently shifted that stance and last year called for more reservoirs, warning that England was facing the “jaws of death” on water shortages.