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Environmental groups took to the roof and the Environment Ministry EA, which is behind the study, acknowledged the failure when the figures were released this week.
The report shows that only 16 percent of England’s rivers, lakes and other waterways have good ecological standards, The Guardian reports. For the first time, a good chemical state is not reached.
A total of 4,600 rivers, lakes and other waterways were examined. Not a single one achieved good status in both categories.
The state of the rivers has not improved since 2016 despite the government’s promise that three out of four will be ecologically sound, as close to a pristine natural state as possible, by 2027.
According to the study, wastewater, chemical emissions from industries and the agricultural industry are the main culprits. The Blueprint for Water association, which groups together non-governmental organizations, says that the government’s goal is now virtually impossible to achieve. EA also claims that this is unlikely.
Criticism is not new. Among other things, WWF declared last year that rivers “are used as sewage,” writes the BBC.
– Clean water is necessary for people and nature to live and for businesses to prosper. But none of our rivers are in good condition at the moment. It affects our crops, our wildlife, the places we love in nature, our water bills and so much more, says Ali Morse, who runs Blueprint for Water.
Data produced by The Guardian recently showed that water companies dumped raw sewage into rivers more than 200,000 times last year. The review caused a stir, the government and EA appointed a special task force to address the issues. But critics are skeptical, saying the government is backed by major budget cuts. For example, Greenpeace showed last year that water samples were cut in half.
The recently released EA report increases pressure on the government to reverse the negative trend. “It’s not a comfortable reading,” says Environment Minister Rebecca Pow, calling for urgent action. It met with water companies in early September to set “expectations” for reducing pollution, writes The Independent. It is not clear what kind of measures you want to see and what the expectations are.
But many do not trust that the government will solve the problems. One of them is Janina Gray of Salmon and Trout Conservation, an organization that works to preserve trout and salmon. She says the rivers in England are in the worst condition in Europe. Compare with Scotland and Wales, where 65.7 and 64 percent, respectively, are in good condition. Gray blames the government’s unwillingness, lack of investment and cuts in the environmental budget. “Depressing” is your description of the situation.
– There has been no progress.
