The article “Sewage sleuths: the men who revealed the slow, dirty death of Welsh and English rivers” discusses the pollution of rivers in England and Wales due to sewage and agricultural waste. Water companies have been accused of releasing billions of litres of raw sewage into rivers, including the Thames. In response to these allegations, the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat announced an investigation into water companies in England and Wales on November 18, 2021
. However, the article also highlights that most of the pollution in rivers like the Wye comes from agriculture rather than sewage works, and there is no quick fix for this problem. Regulators have retreated from checking whether farmers are following the rules around pollution, just as they did for water companies, leading to similar consequences
. The article emphasizes the lack of government action and enforcement of environmental protection laws, which has allowed river pollution to continue. It also raises concerns about the potential impacts of this pollution on public health, wildlife, and the environment
.
A good read about British water companies dumping raw sewage into rivers:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/04/sewage-sleuths-river-pollution-slow-dirty-death-of-welsh-and-english-rivers
Audio: https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2022/aug/15/sewage-sleuths-slow-dirty-death-of-welsh-and-english-rivers-podcast
Summary:
The article “Sewage sleuths: the men who revealed the slow, dirty death of Welsh and English rivers” discusses the pollution of rivers in England and Wales due to sewage and agricultural waste. Water companies have been accused of releasing billions of litres of raw sewage into rivers, including the Thames. In response to these allegations, the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat announced an investigation into water companies in England and Wales on November 18, 2021 . However, the article also highlights that most of the pollution in rivers like the Wye comes from agriculture rather than sewage works, and there is no quick fix for this problem. Regulators have retreated from checking whether farmers are following the rules around pollution, just as they did for water companies, leading to similar consequences . The article emphasizes the lack of government action and enforcement of environmental protection laws, which has allowed river pollution to continue. It also raises concerns about the potential impacts of this pollution on public health, wildlife, and the environment .