4 billion litres of additional water a day needed in England by 2050

Our water supplies are under threat. Soaring populations and the impacts of climate change have led the National Infrastructure Commission to estimate that England will require an extra 4 billion litres of water a day by 2050, up from previous estimates of 3.4 billion litres by the Environment Agency.

In response, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have shared their integrated plan for water. The plan sets out measures to integrate the water system from source to sea through addressing the problems of pollution, leaks, supply shortages and implementing new ways manage water.

The plan outlines the increased need to manage stormwater runoff locally and references the current proposals for standardised sustainable drainage systems for all new developments. Rainwater Harvesting is set to play an even greater role in the future of water management with the government currently undertaking work to aid widespread installation of rainwater harvesting systems.

Rainwater Harvesting is a tried and tested technology which has been improving water efficiency standards across the UK for over 20 years. Not only does Rainwater Harvesting allow for perfectly clean and safe water to be reused for non-potable usage, but it can also dramatically reduce flood risk and reliance on the combined sewer network.