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6 | 20TH - 26TH MARCH 2020 | UTILITY WEEK News Inside story W e are running out of water. Fast. The global population continues to boom and parts of the UK, par- ticularly London and the South East, are saturated. Areas in the South are more water- scarce than Morocco and despite a winter of heavy rain and floods, half the population lives in a drought region. Environment Agency chief executive James Bevan delivered a powerful speech at Waterwise's conference last March warn- ing how soon the taps could run dry. The "jaws of death" had its moment in the main- stream media and seemed to be the catalyst for action, but habits haven't changed over- night. Earlier this month, Waterwise again hosted its conference calling for increased urgency as public awareness of the climate crisis grows. Yet too o†en water scarcity is overlooked in the climate emergency. This is why Utility Week is launching a campaign, called Mind the Tap – and is supporting the campaigning efforts of Affinity Water – as we seek to unite the industry in finding ways to translate stark facts into real action. The challenges of landing the water scar- city message exist despite what is already a concerted effort by the water companies and the priorities set by the Environment Agency and Ofwat. The average personal consumption in 2018/19 was 143 litres per person per day (l/pp/pd) – up 2 litres on the previous year, but lower than a decade ago, suggesting that habits can be changed. There are regional variations from 130-163 l/pp/pd, according to Discover Water, but all are consistently higher than the proposed Target 100 set by Southern Water. As part of the 2019 price review, Ofwat set individual companies targets to reduce per capita consumption in their areas, so aver- age national consumption would reduce by 6.3 per cent by 2025. To achieve this, some individual targets were far higher. Affinity Water has higher-than-average usage in its catchment and launched a cam- paign to get individual usage down to 110 litres per day, naming it #WhyNotWater. For real change to be effected, the sector needs to speak with a common voice; Utility Week believes the goals identified by Affinity could be supported by firms across the sector. The first plank of #WhyNotWater – a mandatory water labelling scheme – is acknowledged across the sector as the best way to reduce per capita consumption (PCC), help consumers make better choices and play their part in saving water. A voluntary scheme exists but has not made a significant impact, therefore the UK must follow the examples of Australia, Singapore, China, New Zealand, Ireland and Israel, by legislating that white goods and bathroom products carry a label that explains, at point of sale, what the water consumption is. Providing this information will let customers make an informed choice about what they buy and raise awareness of water efficiency as part of daily life, as well as encouraging manufacturers to consider efficiency at the design stage. It worked with the energy rating label, so why not water? Affinity's second aim is to encourage landlords to install energy-efficient devices in rented accommodation to help tenants save money and help the environment. Third, #WhyNotWater wants to ensure products are installed correctly and any products that are not permitted under plumbing legislation should not be available to buy. Finally, in severely water-stressed areas, building planning should take a "common- sense" approach to water to ensure new- build homes and offices are designed with the PCC target of 110 litres. Over the coming weeks, we will be elab- orating on these goals, as well as talking to leading lights of the sector and external experts about how we break through the communication barrier and establish water efficiency as a key plank of sustainability. We welcome feedback from Utility Week readers and your suggestions as to how we can achieve our common aims. Ruth Williams, water correspondent, Utility Week It's time to Mind the Tap Utility Week's Mind the Tap campaign to reduce water consumption aims to unite the water sector in a common cause, unlock the right messages to connect with consumers and set out clear demands for government. Ruth Williams reports.