World Water Day

Water is life.

I found out today that it was World Water Day yesterday and so I have just taken a few minutes this evening to refocus my mind on how I can help to protect and conserve this precious resource.

The most simple thing that I realised that I hadn’t done yet was to explain to my boys how to use the full and half flush functions that we have on our toilets at home. I can’t believe that I had forgotten to show them which button they should be pressing!

My second quick action was to join the Surfers Against Sewage campaign by emailing my local MP about supporting the Sewage (Inlands Water) Bill. This bill will make sure that water companies stop sewage discharges into, rivers, lakes and waterways in England. I couldn’t believe that this was still a problem in this day and age but the Surfers Against Sewage website states some shocking facts.

“In 2019 there were over 200,000 discharges of untreated sewage into UK rivers and almost 2,000 discharges into UK coastal bathing waters during the May-September bathing season alone.”

“The sheer volume of sewage and run-off entering the water means the UK is ranked just 25th out of 30 EU countries for coastal water quality and only 16% of waterways meet good ecological status.”

I am delighted to say that my local MP has already replied to me to say that he is already a co-signatory of the Bill which fills me with a lot of hope. However, there is still a long way to go to get the bill passed and so if you have a few spare minutes please do send a quick email to your MP too using the template on the Surfers Against Sewage website (it only takes a few clicks).

#EndSewagePollution-SewageBill • Surfers Against Sewage (sas.org.uk)

Sometimes it can feel like every other day is dedicated to a special cause, however I actually find it really useful to help me focus on one issue at a time and to see if there is any more I could be doing.

Re-reading about the water issues that we face has also renewed my resolve to aim for the 4 minute shower again as I have to admit that I have been letting the time slip a little bit more lately! Every minute really does count.