SCOTTISH Water has published a new strategic plan designed to address the challenges the nation’s water sector faces over the next 25 years.
Following the driest start to a year since 1964, the plan – entitled Our Sustainable Future Together – sets out an approach to ensure water and waste water services remain ‘sustainable, resilient and affordable’.
The plan was informed by customer and stakeholder engagement. Scottish Water outlined the challenges over the next quarter-of-a-century as including: more extreme weather putting increased pressure on water and wastewater systems; Scotland’s growing and shifting population, which creates new demands on the network; and replacing infrastructure as it ages to meet modern demands and improve environmental conditions.
Scottish Water explained that a seven-week public consultation helped identify and prioritise three long-term outcomes:
• Scotland’s tap water remains a source of national pride and is valued as a
precious resource
• The quality of our rivers and seas improves, and our communities are
protected from sewer flooding, through collaboration with others
• Scottish Water plays a key role in enabling Scotland’s sustainable and
economic housing growth.
To achieve this, the utility added that it will focus on three key approaches: collaboration and partnerships with organisations, customers and communities; transforming how it
works and driving efficiencies; and reducing demand on services and assets, while helping customers use less water and managing rainwater on the surface.
Alex Plant, chief executive of Scottish Water, said, “More extreme weather events – as we’ve seen with the recent record dry spell – are becoming the new normal in Scotland. In addition to such dry weather, we will see more extreme downpours more often too, so we need to adapt to greater flood risk.
“The risks of too little and too much rain are increasing and responding to those to
avoid harm to customers and the environment is at the very heart of our long-term
strategy. Everyone who lives in Scotland is a shareholder in Scottish Water and we all have a responsibility to protect our most precious resource. So we need to change our relationship with water to ensure it remains a source of national pride for this and future generations.
“This will need both sustained investment in water infrastructure and action from all
of us to use water resources more efficiently. As we’ve seen in the past week, with a 60 million litre reduction in demand to help support supplies, when people in Scotland work together, the results are deeply impressive.”
The full Our Sustainable Future Together: Long Term Strategy document is available
on the Scottish Water website at: www.scottishwater.co.uk/LongTermStrategy
