The News Review:

- What happens to water from leaking pipes?
- Rally for proper water supply
- Mayor blocks plant that would filter Thames water

What happens to water from leaking pipes?
BBC News – May 23, 2006
On Friday afternoon there was 10 cm of water at the bottom and by Sunday teatime it was brim full. Peter Barnard, BuxtonSurely it would not even cost as much as is wasted to replace much of the old pipes with new , tough, plastic ones?that is unfortunately a disgraceful amount of wastage for a first world leading country in its most basic vital supply. adam grace, stockportConsidering how serious the situation is becoming, is it not now time for the UK to start developing a grey water supply, to run in parallel to the drinkable water supply for use in washing, toilet flushing, plant watering and all the other uses to which we currently put our high quality supply? It would cost billions, but if we will have to do it eventually, we might as well start now, because the cost isn’t going to decrease. Duncan Hothersall, Edinburgh, ScotlandWhilst water companies are accountable to shareholders it seems unlikely there will ever be wide scale investment in infrastructure. To help remove our dependancy on piped water in the future the goverment should change new building regulations to force new house to be built with underground storage tanks to store rain water. This would be used for watering the garden or for hot water.

Rally for proper water supply
Hindu – May 23, 2006
The protestors met Additional Tahsildar Jolly Philip and handed over a memorandum containing demands to be brought to the attention of the conference being held at Kakkanad. Hundreds of women with children took part in the march. Their demands include the completion of the Ad hoc Water Supply Augmentation Scheme (Hudco Scheme) on a war footing, providing 3 MLD (million litres per day) of water promised to Vypeen on the commissioning of the Vypeen component of the Hudco Scheme, supplying water in barges to the Edakochi region till the Hudco Scheme is completed and completing the maintenance work of the distribution system and pumping lines on time. Mohammed Hanish said that the people’s demands would be raised at the constituency-level meeting to be held on Tuesday to assess the drought situation.

Mayor blocks plant that would filter Thames water
Times Online – May 23, 2006
“We are replacing 250 miles of these pipes every year. That’s getting leakage down, but it’s going to take a long time to get round the 10,000 miles of pipes in London, and in the meantime London’s population is growing,” said Richard Aylard, Thames Water’s environment director, today. “The problem is the gap between the amount of water we can supply in a very dry year and the amount of water that London needs,” he told the BBC. “We have looked hard at all the options and the only way to bridge this gap quickly is with this desalination plant. “Professor Simon Judd, a water supply expert at Cranfield University, also questioned the Mayor’s arguments, saying that leaked water is not lost, but returns to the water table, albeit in need of filtration. “It’s a matter of counting one environmental cost of another,” he said. “None of this is clear cut…
“The problem is the gap between the amount of water we can supply in a very dry year and the amount of water that London needs,” he told the BBC. “We have looked hard at all the options and the only way to bridge this gap quickly is with this desalination plant. “Professor Simon Judd, a water supply expert at Cranfield University, also questioned the Mayor’s arguments, saying that leaked water is not lost, but returns to the water table, albeit in need of filtration. “It’s a matter of counting one environmental cost of another,” he said. “None of this is clear cut.