Water is going to cost UK consumers more... that’s according to the country’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IME), which suggests that as the UK’s summers become longer and hotter, the cost of managing and treating water supplies will increase.
That cost will ultimately be passed onto the consumer via their monthly bills.
The report goes on to note that water scarcity during the hotter months will require water treatment plants to be run at peak flow rates for longer, which in turn, impacts overhead costs such as maintenance and energy consumption.
The volume of chemicals used in water purification will have to increase, as will vigilance in preventing and repairing leaks as water becomes scarcer, which will also impact costs.
The risk of increased flooding due to global warming, the IME warns will require bolstered drainage in urban areas.
The organisation has called on all major UK metropoles to investigate and share their future infrastructure requirements, which the report says, can help inform how new-build homes and business properties can be designed and built with greater resilience to changing conditions.
It also called on the government to generate greater public awareness through active campaigns on the importance of water and the changing climate and urged the water industry to produce a water infrastructure sustainability plan to ensure adequate water supply in the future.
It also stressed the government should run a public awareness campaign on the value of water and the potential consequences of the changing climate while urging the water industry to produce a water infrastructure sustainability plan able to ensure supply outstrips demand into the future.
