Author: Marcus Bicknell
Title: Is Water Running Out?
Article: In the United Kingdom we are quite complacent about our water. Water costs more in most other countries than in the UK and only 22% of private properties have meters. It is not unusual for our European neighbours to joke about our wet summers. However, it is a fact that the British Isles are classified as having insufficient water. Because of population growth and the need for more housing, demand for water gas grown. There is now more water available per person in Madrid and Istanbul than in London.During November 2009. Chris Smith, Rt. Hon. Speaking at the Cumberland Lodge conference “Hope in the Built Environment”, Lord Smith of Finsbury, Chairman of the Environment Agency, endorsed the necessity for storage and re-use of rainwater. Lord Smith presented a coherent and positive picture of the UKís measures to mitigate the global warming effect. He confirmed the projections of the experts that temperatures will go up between 2 & 4 degrees Celsius before the next century, leading to floods, droughts, sea levels rising by up to one hundred metres, irreversible alterations to agricultural output and population movement as it searches for water (for instance to a country like the United Kingdom). Even earlier, by 2030, UK rivers flows will be down by 50 to 80%. He stressed that, under these circumstances, water is already a scarce resource.Lord Smith’s stance actively encourages both private and commercial property owners and developers to fit rainwater harvesting, meaning the collection of rainwater from roofs and storing water for washing clothes, watering gardens and flushing toilets. Because almost all of the rain which falls in the United Kingdom is wasted as it flows into the sea (less than 1% is collected by waterboards to purify, chlorinate and pipe to users), it is sensible to collect and utilise the water off your own roof. State-of-the-art rainwater systems, self-cleaning leaf filters, underground tanks where the cool temperature inhibits bacterial action and water discolouration, low- or zero-electrical-use pumps and equipment tags of only £1500-£3000 for a private house now make rainwater harvesting the best cost effective of the eco-products on the market. Property owners reduce their water bill by up to 50%, reduce their mains water use by about 50% and look to decreasing their unnecessary use of water… a scarce resource.Christ Smith talked about the Code For Sustainable Homes which councils are employing to require new constructions to fit, as a portion of a points-scoring range of eco-feature, rainwater harvesting as a condition of planning permission. He acknowledged that the government’s stance is more “stick” than “carrot” and he regretted that the Treasury continues to resist the reduction of VAT on rainwater equipment. Rainwater Harvesting Limited supplies rainwater harvesting systems, storage tanks, pumps, filters and management systems to households and commercial businesses. RainWaterHarvesting.co.uk is a large information resource offering valuable technical information and advice in addition to 1000s of product specifications. Download the invaluable rainwater harvesting tank size calculator
Syndication Source: ThoughtSearch.com
Tagged with: environmental concerns • Environmental Issues
Filed under: Healthy Home • Home Environment
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Rainwater harvesting is big news in the UK and likely to become mandatory for new houses and commercial buildings in the near future.
The UK government target for mains water useage is only 80 litres/person (21 US gallons)from mains water supply by 2016 and this is only possible by harvesting rainwater to make up the deficit.