WWF-UK responds to Water UK's report on the needed to protect against the growing risk of drought

16 Sep 2016 12:27 PM

Rose O’Neill , Freshwater Programme Manager at WWF-UK commented on last week’s report published by Water UK showing that more action is needed to protect against growing drought risk

“In the future, pressure on our rivers and water supplies is only going to rise. We need to act now to ensure that we have enough water for people and nature in years to come.

Abstraction licences ensure that rivers don’t dry up as demand for water increases. Yet the system is out-of-date, unsustainable and not fit for purpose. Only 1 in 5 licences offer anything by way of environmental protection, and some licences allow abstraction of water that, in future, may not even be there.

Abstraction licencing urgently needs reform and Defra must bring forward its long-awaited plans by tabling a new Water Bill.”