Apparently London is losing 1 billion litres of water a year because of leaks. In my road, this doesn’t seem surprising. A burst water main, which has occasioned a babbling brook running down our street, was reported to Thames Water last week and there has still been no action.
London’s losses could just be a sad comment on corporate incompetence, but water is the major problem for much of the world. About six million people die globally each year because of contaminated water, and 90% of the world’s diseases are still water-related.
I’ve felt the irony acutely as I step over the gusher outside my door. I’m chairing a debate tonight on water problems in the developing world. London’s blind neglect of its water — echoed in much of the developed world — is an insult to the major part of the world that lacks clean water.