The President of the UK Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) has warned of the potential risks to public health resulting from sewage discharges to the sea and rivers.
Photo: Jim McManus, President of the UK Association of Directors of Public Health
The warning came in an interview with Jim McManus, who is also Director of Public Health at Hertfordshire County Council, on Radio 4’s Today programme last Friday, when he outlined a list of potential illnesses including ear infections, stomach infections, chest and eye infections, E Coli, salmonella and hepatitis.
Presenter Justin Webb began the interview by explaining that beaches in East Sussex had been closed after untreated sewage was released by Southern Water last Wednesday, with dozens of beaches around England and Wales facing pollution warnings.
Asked by the BBC presenter whether or not we have to carry on having a situation where occasionally – “and frankly, often at the moment” - raw sewage is released into the sea and into rivers, Jim McManus said:
”I think we should envisage a situation where we just don’t do it. … we had 375,000 discharges of sewage last year and 400,000 the year before. …it harms the economy, it harms ecosystems, it harms health.”…….
“We need a sewage system fit for the 21st century that stops discharging sewage wherever possible.”
Justin Webb went on to ask whether it was the case that “sewage plants aren’t up to scratch” and if the Government were to approach all the water companies and say “this is what needs to happen” what this would involve.
The ADHP Chief outlined the following solutions –
Firstly, one regulator in charge – “We seem to have about 7 different agencies who have all got different bits of the system. That doesn’t make for good co-ordination”
Second, really strong standards and limits – “We are waiting on Defra bringing to Parliament in early September standards for stormwater discharge – that will solve just one part of the problem.” Really deterrent policies and penalties which absolutely deter people – which the Chair of the Environment Agency has herself called for.
Invest in infrastructure – both where equipment fails, and also in “better ecologically sound sewage treatment facilities so that we don’t have to discharge water”.
The comment from the UK health body adds to a barrage of criticism, putting further pressure on both the water companies and water sector regulators who continue to be the focus of intense scrutiny and criticism about sewage discharges.
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