Burrows, D. (2023, February 12). How Britain’s waterways became a dirty joke –

and why we should act now. The Times. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/

      water-pollution-why-water-crisis-uk-2023-clean-it-up-ftzbfpm8j

 

Thousands of people in the United Kingdom have been protesting over sewage pollution from the Thames to the Wye river. The campaign group Whitstable SOS was formed in 2021 after Southern Water Services gave an inadequate response in fighting back against the discharging of sewage into the sea. The Times reported that only 16 percent of the surface water around England could be considered close enough to its natural state. While 63 percent of the water received a moderate rating, and 20 percent of the water received a poor or bad rating. The government wants to raise the rating to 75 percent of water considered good by 2027. They wish to achieve this through rigorous new standards and cleaning. However, this figure hasn’t changed for the past five years.

 

I was surprised by the quality of water in England. I was expecting the country to have a much better ecological status in its surrounding surface water; considering that many view it as the ultimate first-world country. It’s interesting to think that countries like England still haven’t solved issues with their own local environment.