MPs on the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee will hold an evidence session beginning 10.00 am this morning to examine sewage discharges in Wales as part of its current inquiry into water quality.
The Welsh Affairs Committee is responsible for scrutinising the expenditure, administration and policies of the Wales Office, and the policies of the UK Government as whole that have an impact in Wales.
The Committee will be holding one of two evidence sessions to examine the quality of water in Wales following widespread media coverage of sewage discharges, giving rise to growing public concern over river health.
In 2020, there were 105,751 sewage spills from combined storm overflows into waterways across Wales recorded by event duration monitors (EDMs). Spills harm river health by introducing biological and chemical pollutants, changing water chemistry and polluting waterways with litter, while high levels of bacteria pose risks to public health. The UK lags behind other European countries in water quality, and in 2018 the proportion of bathing water sites rated excellent was 63.2% compared to a European average of 85.1%.
During this evidence session, likely topics that will be discussed include:
- How the Welsh and UK governments are tackling the problem of sewage discharges from storm overflows;
- The situation in Wales compared to the rest of the UK;
- The extent of unpermitted sewage spills in Wales;
- Whether reforms to storm overflows under the Environment Act 2021 that apply to England should be extended to Wales; and
- The available solutions to untreated sewage discharges.
Witnesses who will appear before the Committee this morning are:
- Angela Jones, environmental campaigner
- Jon Khoo, Chair, Surfers against Sewage
- Gail Davies-Walsh, Chief Executive, Afonydd Cymru
Click here to watch the evidence session live on parliamentlive.tv from 10.00am this morning.
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