Photo: UK Rivers NetworkThe Angling Trust and WWF have launched a legal challenge over inadequate plans to safeguard the health of rivers and lakes in England. Lodging the documents at the High Court is the first step in the process of applying for a judicial review of the government’s River Basin Management Plans which were submitted to the EU in December to comply with the Water Framework Directive.
If the challenge is successful it will have big implications for investment in the water sector. The two organisations are challenging the legality of the plans because they do not set specific targets or a coherent timeframe to address the poor ecological status of many rivers and lakes in England. The plans also rely heavily on a wide range of reasons for inaction which the Directive only allows to be used in exceptional circumstances.
Currently only 27% of rivers are at ‘good’ status and the Governments plans only increase this by 5% by 2015. It’s the view of many environmental groups that the EA and Government are not being ambitious enough in their targets. The Environment Agency and water companies are coming under increased pressure with the sustained campaign by the Sunday Times on combined sewer overflows. This comes at a difficult time for the government as it struggles to reduce expenditure. However given that the water companies are privatized this may be an opportunity for the government to show its green credentials. With more people anticipated to take holidays in the UK this year and increasing public concern over bathing water quality it is likely that the pressure to raise standards will only increase underwriting continued investment in the water sector for years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment