Sir, – Hurray, hurray: at last, almost 90 years since the foundation of this nation we have discovered that much of the water we collect, store and purify is wasted through leakage.
We are told (Front page, December 26th 27th) the treatment and supply of water costs about a billion euro annually but some 24 to 48 per cent is lost through leakage – the variation depending on location. So one may assume some €350,000,000 literally “goes down the drain” each year. We are now, at last, going to put this right, why? Because the EU has told us we must.
Engineers have been telling civil servants, politicians and others of this problem for as long as we can remember, but nothing was done.
There are similar serious, environmental health and financial problems associated with the maintenance of the quality of the air we breathe and the energy we need to make things work. Do we have to be told by the EU to put these right or do we, in the future, listen and act upon the advice of our own experts? – Yours, etc,