There is not a single healthy river in London Members of the London Assembly were told yesterday in a meeting of the Environment Committee.
Responding to questioning by Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Hina Bokhari on sewage dumping in London’s rivers, it was revealed that not a single river in the city is rated ‘good’ according to EU standards, with three rated as ‘bad’, five as ‘poor’ and the rest as ‘moderate’.
The panel revealed that the only river that had been rated as ‘good’, the Carshalton branch of the River Wandle in South London, had been downgraded to ‘moderate’.
Thames Water’s Interim CEO Cathryn Ross, who attended the Committee, also apologised for Thames Water’s role in damaging the natural environment.
The panel also highlighted that many chalk streams in London, including the Wandle, were being kept artificially alive by pumping water back to the source of the rivers and would otherwise have dried up due to over-extraction.
Commenting after the meeting, Hina Bokhari AM said:
“We all knew London’s rivers were in a dire state, but to find out we have not a single healthy river in our capital city and that the only river that was previously healthy has now been downgraded is truly shocking.
“Water companies need to take responsibility for the fact that over the last few decades, they have prioritised profit and massive CEO bonuses over the environment and public goods.
“The Liberal Democrats would transform our water companies into public benefit corporations, ensuring they work for the public and take measures to end sewage dumping in our rivers.
“It is equally worrying to find out that most of London’s remaining chalk streams are having to be kept artificially alive, these streams are incredibly rare and support a variety of wildlife. We cannot keep extracting so much water from them that they risk drying up forever.”
