Water & Wastewater Treatment

WWT May 2020

Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine

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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

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