Water companies’ short and long term responses to the floods

Companies worked around the clock alongside the Environment Agency, local authorities and other emergency services to help minimise the impacts of the floods on drinking water and sewerage services.

With affected areas now beginning to recover, the industry is looking again at what it can do to support the UK's long term work to minimise the impacts of such extreme weather.

Looking ahead, we need to reconsider how we can catch as much of the rainfall as possible to secure supply to customers, and we must ensure our sewer systems can cope with such long periods of intense rainfall.

Apart from maintaining and building new infrastructure, much greater focus will need to be put on effective catchment management and creative sustainable urban drainage systems.

Water UK will continue to lead and facilitate debate and policy development in these key areas.

Water companies' roles in the emergency response to the floods

Sarah Mukherjee