Britain's water industry regulator wants households to recycle bath water and stop using the liquid from the tap to water gardens and wash cars. Rachel Fletcher, head of water service regulator Ofwat is calling on the British government to do more to help households waste less water.
"The idea of using treated drinking water to water our gardens and wash our cars in the 21st century just doesn't seem appropriate. As a regulator, it is something we will push the companies to innovate on," Ms Fletcher told MPs on the Commons Environment Committee.
READ MORE: Britain Wastes Billions of Litres of Water Endangering Future Supplies
Water companies need to push the frontier of technology and innovation to better manage their water supplies. They need to plan for the long-term so they can deliver reliable services to you, whatever the weather. pic.twitter.com/RZhHrTiFRa
— Ofwat (@Ofwat) July 12, 2018
"We do as a sector need to think about transferring water from one region to another. And we have got to shift the frontier in the technology we are using in delivering water supplies," she told the Commons.
@frostatwork @Botanygeek and all gardening experts — can one recycle bath water to water the garden? Rain butt nearly empty, toddler has a bath each night — can we use that water? Never liked concept of using drinking water to water garden or clean cars!!! Thanks! X
— me (@reallooby) July 12, 2018
The UK is on standby for a hosepipe ban after water supplies became stretched due to a lack of rainfall and a heatwave.
Ofwat want households to recycle bath water and use rain butts to collect water to use outside.
@Ofwat My rainwater butts were emptied weeks ago. I note that automatic car washers and golf clubs have no conscience about saving water.
— Chris Adams🇬🇧 (@CCAdams38) July 12, 2018
"We will work with government and other partners to do everything we can to make sure we have secure, affordable and an environmentally friendly approach to delivering future water supplies," Ms Fletcher told MPs.
A recent report, the state of the environment: water resource published by the Environment Agency reveals over 3,000 million litres of water is wasted everyday due to leaks. Households also rwaste around a third of water they use each day.
See @OfwatChiefExec talk to @CommonsEFRA about how we will push companies on innovation to make sure there is a secure, affordable and environmentally friendly approach to delivering water supplies. pic.twitter.com/ujVVMcqaBU
— Ofwat (@Ofwat) July 12, 2018
The sun’s out so make the most of it! Your water company should be prepared for the hot weather, but you can do your bit to save water too #waterefficiency #savewater https://t.co/NTljLliZVl pic.twitter.com/GpnfF2IY60
— Ofwat (@Ofwat) July 11, 2018
