Securing water for the future

Climate change means that we will all have to value water more as we find a fairer way of paying for it Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said today as he launched the Government's water strategy for England Future Water.

Climate change means that we will all have to value water more as we find a fairer way of paying for it Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said today as he launched the Government's water strategy for England Future Water.

Hilary Benn said: Securing and maintaining water supplies is vital to the prosperity of the country and to the health of people and the environment. In some areas current supplies are already unsustainable and this situation was exemplified by the drought in South East England between 2004 and 2006.

These pressures are going to get worse as the climate changes the economy grows and population increases. Combined with the need to reduce CO2 emissions from the water industry and from our use of hot water in our homes this means that we must find ways of improving efficiency and of reducing demand and wastage.