In Focus: coronavirus
T
here is no doubting the
fact the last few months
have been the most
challenging in living memory.
Brexit preparations were fol-
lowed by the existential threat
of nationalisation, and then
the most challenging financial
settlement since privatisation.
Quick breather for Christ-
mas, and then straight in to
flooding which tested even
the most stringent emergency
plans, stretching the workforce
both out in the field and back
at head office.
Fast forward just one short
month and the country is fac-
ing the biggest public health
emergency in a century.
Hardly pausing to draw
breath, the same teams are
being tested again. This time
the problem is the completely
unknown parameters of the
situation – how long will the
country be in lockdown? How
many of the work force will be
affected? Exactly how large is
a 'skeleton' staff?
Yet the taps need to be kept
on, supply and maintenance
Caption
Clear
thinking
in a crisis
Alex Graham, principal consultant,
Egremont Group, names three key
reasons why water companies are
consistently able to raise their game
in a time of national emergency.
20 | MAY 2020 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk
schedules operated as normal.
While utility workers are
classed as key workers, with
water and sewerage workers
specifically identified, if the
predicted 80 per cent of the
population do contract the
virus over the next three to six
months, business-as-usual will
look very different.
It is not all doom and
gloom, however. If there
is one thing the industry
is good at it is coping in a
crisis. From Cockermouth in
2009 to the Whaley Dam last
summer, high profile incidents
involving an emergency
response are well practiced.
For an industry used to
operating under pressure,
here are three key reasons why
water companies are consist-
ently able to raise their game
and the lessons that can be
shared in a time of national
emergency.
1. Clarity of purpose
In a crisis, the shortage of time
and the severity of the poten-
tial impact mean that politics
