Water Matters: Efficient water management in London

Our Health and Environment Committee report sets out a range of measures to help London manage its limited water supplies more effectively and avoid drought restrictions in the future.

Although this year’s restrictions came to an end after exceptionally heavy rain, uncertainties about future levels of rainfall, an increasing population and the effects of climate change are placing more pressure on precious water supplies.

The capital cannot rely solely on its own rainfall and the report recommends ways to reduce the amount of water used by each Londoner – currently around 167 litres per day – and cut leakage.

The report calls for:

• Ofwat to fully include long-term economic, social and environmental costs of supplying water and look at assessing the true value of water.
• DECC to reconsider excluding cold water efficiency measures when the national Green Deal comes in.
• Water companies to step up the pace of installing water meters in all properties by 2025.
• Ofwat to work with water companies to implement social tariffs for water billing to support essential water usage by vulnerable people.