After years of ever more shocking reports and disgusting images of sewage spills fouling our beaches and rivers, environmental groups and individuals gathered by the River Thames in Central London to demand action from the Government. Roughly 15,000 demonstrators marched from the Albert Embankment, across Westminster Bridge, and down Whitehall to a rally and speeches in Parliament Square.
I met a few of the many individuals and environment organisation representatives taking part, photographing them on Albert Embankment before moving to Westminster Bridge to catch them as they crossed to the North Bank.
The images mostly speak for themselves and there’s a list of useful links at the end of this piece.
The River Wye has hit the headlines over the last few years, and not in a good way. Running through both Wales and England this beautiful 153 mile water course is suffering from increasing pollution, described by Save The Wye as: “a chemical cocktail of excessive agricultural nutrients (over 70%), sewage (22-24%), microplastics and superbugs.”
The tradition of lave net fishing for salmon on the River Severn has been passed down through the generations. The nets are fixed in the long-established way to a Y-shaped structure made of willow, and some fishermen still knit their nets using a strip of wood and a needle.
The Women’s Institute has been active for some time in raising awareness of the plight of our rivers. They were “pleased to see to see that the new Government had heard calls for a comprehensive review of our water system”, adding that “it paves the way for transformative legislation that tackles the water crisis once and for all.” They intend to keep up pressure on the Government to ensure this opportunity is not wasted.
Water supply in England and Wales was privatised in 1989, when the regional public water companies were sold off by the Thatcher government. They are now mostly owned by foreign shareholders who, as normal with private companies are paid dividends from profits, but due to lack of control, leaving insufficient funds in the water industry for development and upgrades.
Members of The RSPB joined the March for Clean Water to “turn their anger, frustration, and disbelief into action”, and to show the new Government that cleaning up our beaches and waterways must be a priority. They welcome the ‘Water Bill’ and will be keeping a close eye on all aspects of its progress.
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Steve Reed, appointed in July 2024, has launched an Independent Water Commission to review the state of the water industry. He acknowledges that there are “severe failures of regulation and governance” and that it “was failing to keep up with the public’s expectations, particularly around sewage.” He went further saying: ” I share the public’s anger about the appalling state of our waterways”, which is why he has introduced new laws to “ban the payment of unfair bonuses to polluting water bosses” and to bring criminal charges against persistent law breakers.
In the meantime great progress has been made on Tideway, the new “Super Sewer”to protect the central London Thames from sewage pollution. Work began in 2016 on several construction sites in London, from Action in the west to the Abbey Mills Pumping Station in the east. In May 2024, the first four of twenty-one sites came into operation and work is on track to be completed in 2025.
However, as you will have seen on banners paraded in the March for Clean Water, and in a myriad of press stories, there are many rivers and beaches across the country in urgent need of cleaning up. An article by Shaoni Bhattacharya on July, 5 2024, posted by the BBC, declared that “Just 14% of England’s rivers meet the standards of a ‘good ecological status’ under the Water Framework Directive for England and Wales.” The article explores some of the mitigation being undertaken by the development of wetlands but the project is way off the original target.
Among the many groups that I came across were Friends of the Dart; supporters of the Rivers Kennet, Pang and their catchment area; and the Thames Mudlark Collective. The design of the Mudlark banner created by mudlark Mark Sowden, incorporated words expressing what we seek from the connection with our rivers: sanctuary; stillness; solace; space – history; harmony; heart; and hope. And in spite of everything, as in Pandora’s Box, there is still Hope.
Sources and Further information
March for Clean Water
https://marchforcleanwater.org
RiverActionUK
https://riveractionuk.com
Action for the River Kennet (ARK)
https://www.riverkennet.org
Thames21
https://www.thames21.org.uk
Rewilding Britain
https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk
Waterways Protection
https://waterwaysprotection.org
Thames Rivers Trust
https://www.thamesriverstrust.org.uk
BBC article by Shaoni Bahattacharya: The UK’s rivers are riddled with sewage pollution – new wetlands could help clean them up.
Article in The Times by Ellie McDonald
RSPB Action
https://www.rspb.org.uk
Friends of the Dart
https://www.friendsofthedart.org