Monday 19 July 2021

730 things — Day 120 of 365

 It turns out that our water company — Southern Water — which supplies our tap water and manages the disposal of whatever flows out of our house via the drains and the sewage pipes, has been pumping massive amounts of raw sewage into the sea.

Our last Prime Minister but one, David Cameron, changed things so that water companies were their own regulatory body. I should judge that to be a cynical move because you surely couldn't get to be Prime Minister and be that stupidly naive. As anyone one might guess, in terms of realistic regulation it has not been effective, but in terms of corners cut and happy shareholders I should think it's just the ticket.

A lengthy legal case has unfolded over this, that has concluded with Southern Water being fined £90m pounds. The judge asked them how much it would cost to put it right. Southern Water's response? They said, oh, billions of pounds — it wouldn't be worth it — they just accept a big fine now and then as part of their company costs.

This is a perfect example of why the UK political left thinks privatisation is a bad idea.

I cannot begin to convey how upset I feel about this. Southern Water has made us pay to destroy delicate eco-systems in the ocean and make our coastlines unsafe for people to swim and surf and play. They have absolutely betrayed our trust — and they know it and they don't care. Shrug their shoulders — absorb the fine as a business cost — whatever.

I am not the kind of activist who organises. I don't often write letters and I never go on marches or protests any more, but I do conform my life and choices to my ethical principles, for the most part; not perfectly, being human, but I try quite hard.

I'm not entirely sure I can eliminate the services of Southern Water from my life altogether — my own, personal life; each individual in our household makes his or her own choices and responses about such things — but I am quite certain I can radically decrease the extent of the custom I give them.

They are no friend to life, God, truth, humanity, trustworthiness or creation — everything in fact that makes life worth living. What they do care about is money. I'm going to make very sure I give them a great deal less.


Meanwhile, on their way out of my life today — a screwdriver and a spirit level.




I rarely use a spirit level — and I think in reality 'rarely' has moved on to 'never' by now — but I often have cause to look for a screwdriver. Fortunately I have several others, both crosshead and flat.


5 comments:

Suzan said...

I loathe is when companies destroy the earth to suit their needs. Water treatment does not need to be so harsh on on earth. I hope you can think of a solution. I worry about our precious Barrier Reef. I have never seen it although I have been near to it several times. But much damage can occur when waste and flood water pour onto the delicate eco system.

Pen Wilcock said...

Yes, indeed. And we are way past the time when we could afford to be blasé about any of this. Money is useful of course, we all have to find a way to live — but what we will live through in the destruction of our planet doesn't bear thinking about; and all this nonsense of spaceships and living on Mars is Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

Jane B said...

I try to remember that the water companies don't own the water, only the infrastructure that carries water to and fro. The water belongs to all of us. I think back to my one visit to Australia where water bottles were filled from large tanks containing nothing but rainwater; there was a simple filter to keep debris out but no chemicals. It was lovely to drink. At home we try to harvest as much rainwater as we can but there is usually only enough for the plants, indoors and outdoors.
Our local branch of M&S was built with a rainwater capture roof so all the loos flush with untreated rainwater. I admit to plumbing envy.
Also I love the Japanese style looks with a wash basin that drains into the cistern ready for the next flush. Our new build house has none of these features, only I think if we replace the bathroom I'll be on the case. Sadly that might be too little, too late. I wish these things were standard to give the water(pipe) companies more competition.
Jane B

Jane Hansford said...

I thought of you when I heard this on the news. We are all suffering from the greed of shareholders. Why can these people not see that by their actions they are threatening the fundamental stability of God's planet? If is so easy to feel helpless and discouraged but I pray that our individual actions may influence others before it is too late.

Pen Wilcock said...

Hi Jane B — waving!

Gosh, I'm so happy to hear that about your local M&S branch! Hooray for them!

My great-grandparents also had a rainwater capture tank on their roof, piped down to a tap at the sink so they could do their laundry. Very pleasing. I like the Japanese loo-and-basin things too. We wanted one here but our builder came up stubborn objections and we allowed ourselves to be discouraged. Next time . . .

Our own system is more Heath-Robinson — a Berkey filter in the kitchen for drinking water, which we collect from the chalybeate spring down the hill, and a mahoosive Berkey filter in the bathroom to which we lug up rainwater from the very large rainwater butts that catch our roof water. We have three in a row, 750 litres in all, so the first one gets all the grot from the roof in it, but the link from one tub to the other is at the top, so the debris settles and the third one is the row is very clean — not of germs, obviously, but we do filter it.

"Plumbing envy" is an excellent phrase!


And hi to Jane H — Yes, it feels frustrating and also frightening sometimes. The only way forward is to do our very best to be part of the solution with every decision that arises before us.