IT’S OUR WATER?

While Wales's voice has been significantly strengthened since 1999, we still do not have the same degree of control of our natural resources as Scotland or Northern Ireland. Amongst our rich resources is the literal stuff of life – water. Water is likely to be a valuable resource for the people of Wales in future years, and who controls it, one of the key issues, of dispute between Westminster and Cardiff Bay.

The issue of water understandably raises strong emotions and stirs long memories here in Wales. Three years ago Boris Johnson (then solely Mayor of London, but, after May 2015 an MP) started wittering on about a network of canals being needed to carry water from the wet North to the dry South (for the ‘wet North’ read much of ‘Wales).

Now Boris's revolutionary thought, was no new idea, back in 1973, the then Water Resources Board, the government agency (now defunct) produced a major report that advocated building a whole raft of infrastructure to aid the movement of water, not to mention constructing freshwater storage barrages in the Ouse, Wash and Morecambe Bay, using a network of canals to move water from north to south, extending reservoirs and building new aqueducts, not to mention constructing a series of tunnels to link up river basins to aid the movement of water.

The plan for water in 1973

Despite the demise of the Water Resources Board in 1974 (two years before the 1976 drought) and its replacement by regional water management bodies, which were privatised in the 1980’s thise issue has never really gone away. In 2006, the Environment Agency produced a report entitled "Do we need large-scale water transfers for south-east England?", in answer to its own question at the time was ‘no’. 

Yet faced with a prolonged period of drought in the South East of England, DEFRA itself held a drought summit on the 20th of February of 2012. The then Con Dem Government stated that it remained committed to the remaining legislative measures set out in its Water for Life agenda, which later became the Water Industry (Financial Assistance) Act.

That is as they say history, but whatever Westminster eventually decides to do in relation to water resources, we in Wales still need to have full democratic control of our own resources. We could begin the process with repatriating control of the Crown Estates and transferring control of lands in (and off-shore) to the Welsh Government in Cardiff. For the life of me I can see no realistic reason why this feudal anachronism cannot be consigned to the dustbin of history. 

This needs to be followed up by taking a long hard look at our water resources and what we get for them and how we can develop them. I see absolutely no reason why the Welsh people cannot fully benefit from any future exploitation of Welsh resources, including our water. We need a whole Wales strategy to develop and to conserve our water supplies and our planning regulations will need to be tweaked or rewritten accordingly. 

Cofiwch Dryweryn

Most people will not be particularly shocked to discover that coincidentally that the Government of Wales Act (2006) thanks to Peter Hain (amongst others) specifically excludes the Assembly from making any laws relating to water supply – hmm – odd that isn't it? 

The bottom line is that our water resources should belong to the Welsh people, not to Private corporations or to the UK Government. Whether or not the new draft Wales Bill to strengthen the powers that we in Wales have over our natural resources and associated planning processes remains to be seen…

OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

For too long our natural resources have been run for the benefit of others with few real or lasting benefits trickling down to the people of Wales. The final say on how our natural resources are exploited and developed should be the responsibility of the Welsh people (and the Welsh Government) and any profits or dividends should directly benefit the people who live here. Our water resources including the responsibility for sewerage for the whole territory of Wales should be the responsibility of the Welsh Government. The Crown Estate remains unaccountable to the people of Wales and all profits from its holdings (which includes on and off shore wind farms) are passed to the UK Westminster Government. Profits from these holdings are likely to grow significantly mostly due to the growing demand for renewable energy. Ownership and control over the Crown Estates in Wales should be transferred to the Welsh Government.

WATER SOVEREIGNTY?

Cofiwch Dryweryn

Water is going to be a valuable resource for the people of Wales in future years, and who controls it, I suspect one of the key issues. The issue of water understandably raises strong emotions and stirs long memories here in Wales, especially when the likes of Boris Johnson starts chattering on about a network of canals being needed to carry water from the wet North to the dry South (for the ‘wet North’ read ‘Wales).

Now Boris's brainwave, is not a new idea, back in 1973, the Water Resources Board, the government agency (now defunct) published a major report that advocated building a whole raft of infrastructure to aid the movement of water, not to mention constructing freshwater storage barrages in the Ouse, Wash and Morecambe Bay, using a network of canals to move water from north to south, extending reservoirs and building new aqueducts, not to mention constructing a series of tunnels to link up river basins to aid the movement of water.

The plan for water in 1973

Despite the demise of the Water Resources Board in 1974 (two years before the 1976 drought) and its replacement by regional water management bodies, which were privatised in the 1980’s the issue has never really gone away. The Environment Agency produced a report entitled "Do we need large-scale water transfers for south-east England?" (in 2006), in answer to its own question at the time it said no.

Yet faced with a prolonged period of drought in the South East of England, DEFRA itself held a drought summit on the 20th of February this year. The Con Dem Government continues to doggedly pursing its Water for Life agenda, as part of which the Water Industry (Financial Assistance) Bill to be met. The Government has stated that it remains committed to the remaining legislative measures set out in Water for Life and fully intends to publish a draft Water Bill in the coming months.

Whatever Westminster decides to do, we (in Wales) need to have democratically control of our own resources, we could start with repatriating control of the crown estates transferring control of lands in (and off) to the Welsh Government in Cardiff. For the life of me I can see no realistic reason why this feudal anachronism cannot be consigned to the dustbin of history.

This should be followed up by taking a long hard look at our water resources and what we get for them and how we can develop them. I see absolutely no reason why the Welsh people cannot fully benefit from any future exploitation of Welsh resources, including our water. We need a whole Wales strategy to develop and to conserve our water supplies and our planning regulations will need to be tweaked or rewritten accordingly.

Most people will not be particularly shocked to discover that coincidentally that the Government of Wales Act specifically excludes the Assembly from making any laws relating to water supply – hmm – odd that isn't it? The bottom line is that our water resources should belong to the Welsh people, not to Private corporations or to the UK Government.

WATER RESOURCES

On a hot day (in Wales, even in early in October) when thirsty I simply turn the tap and get cool drinkable water to quench my thirst. It is very easy to forget that no everyone on this planet has that simple luxury. The fact that it's warm at the moment is down to weather rather than global warming. However, that said, it's worth noting that with global warming will come drought, which is the real silent killer.

The International Institute of Tropical Agricultural (in Nigeria) estimated in 2008 that by 2010 some 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa (nearly a third of the region's population) would be suffering from malnutrition because of the on-going drought. By a strange quirk of fate most people don’t die of hunger during a drought, they die from dysentery and other disease which are spread by poor living conditions and a lack of sanitation. It has been estimated that around 1.6 million children per year die from a lack of access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation.

The Hadley Centre for Climate Change has noted that there has been a 25% increase in worldwide drought through the 1990’s. It has been estimated that around 3% of the planets surface area is affected by extreme drought conditions. This figure could rise to around 30% if the climatic effects of global warming kick in big time and this excludes those areas affected by moderate drought conditions.

Now according to UNESCO, our planet has plenty of fresh water, the problem is a combination of uneven distribution, combined with mismanagement of limited resources and the fact that we harvest water on an industrial scale. UNESCO estimates that around 1.1 billion people do not have drinking water supplies and around 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Of this figure over half live in India and China not to mention the millions in sub-Saharan and tropical Africa.

By 2030, UNESCO has estimated that we will need approximately 55 percent more food, hence a need for more water for irrigation, something that already takes around 70 percent of all the water currently consumed by humanity. Factor in rapid urbanisation in developing and developed countries (UNESCO research projects that 2/3rds of the population of the planet will live in urban areas by 2030 – many in slums and squatter camps), and you begin to see the potential (if not the actual) scale of the problem and how access to fresh water and sanitation will be an ongoing problem.

When it comes to developing our nations water resources we need much more than short –term thinking and fast-buck solutions, we need sustainable long-term solutions. There is a distinct possibility that drought and major water shortages and other related crisis's may be a regular feature of life in the 21st century, pretending that it won't happen (here or elsewhere) is not an option. What's also not an option is for multi-national companies to move in and run (for a fat profit) state water resources in the developing world (or the developed world) for the benefit of distant shareholders (and the local elite be they elected or merely local tyrants) at the behest of the World Bank and the IMF.