Control use of water, British industry told |
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Tue, 09 Aug 2005 20:35
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LONDON: British firms have been advised to cut down on use of water as experts fear reckless use of water can turn the country into a "desert state". A government-funded efficiency body, Environwise, says British industry and commerce as a whole use three times more water than needed and there could be very serious implications for the future if this continued.
Environs' programme director Dr Martin Gibson said, "wasting water will be a massive drain on profits as well as environments. The main industrial users need to look at ways of cutting their consumption and office workers have to realise that they have a role to play as well to help cut the financial as well as environmental cost."
The organisation said firms that implemented simple water conservation practices could save as much as 30 per cent of water.
Environs said the country's industry and commerce uses 1,300 cubic metres of water every year, which can fill 900,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. This is three times more water than necessary. This is causing water shortage and studies indicate that in South East England, there is less water per head than in countries like Syria andSudan, which face perennial water shortage.
Dr Gibson said there is significant awareness among home users to conserve water, but, however, "commercial and industrial usage accounts for nearly a third of all water used in the UK, significantly contributing to this current water shortage."
He said for example, the food and drink industry use as much as 312 million cubic meters of water every year and electronics as much as 247 million cubic meters.
The government offers a number of incentives to industry for investing in technologies that promote efficient use of water. These include tax relief via the Government's Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme.
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