Beneath the Surface: Navigating the UK's Water Pollution Quagmire

(Photo : Luciann Photography from Pexels)

• Water pollution in the UK rising at an alarming rate with over 90% of freshwater habitats in dire conditions.

• Raw sewage and agricultural runoff are major culprits causing severe pollution disrupting ecosystems and threatening human health.

• Tech-led solutions key to tackling the problem in the short-term with companies such as Dahua Technology and Vodafone helping to curb water pollution through AI-based solutions and IoT sensors.

Recently, it probably won't have escaped anyone's notice that the UK has been prominently featured in news reports due to its escalating issues with polluted water sources, encompassing seas, rivers, waterways and freshwater habitats. 

Alarming statistics reveal that only 14% of England's rivers were classified as ecologically 'good' in 2022.

Similarly, an Observer investigation carried out in August 2023, proves that more than 90% of freshwater habitats on England's rivers are in an unfavourable condition.

This means that a mere 9.9% of protected areas, known as sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), which encompass freshwater habitats, surrounding woodland, marshes and fenlands, are currently in a favourable state. 

Both the release of untreated sewage and agricultural runoff are leading causes of this water pollution in the UK.

In 2021, companies discharged untreated sewage into English waterways for a combined total of more than 2.5 million hours (about 285 years). 

The inadequate funding for outdated infrastructure means the capacity of many sewage pipes is regularly exceeded. So, in order to prevent sewage from backing up and flooding public areas and homes, water companies frequently resort to releasing sewage through the combined sewer overflow network elsewhere. 

Intensifying agricultural practices in recent decades has also had a detrimental impact on water quality through the release of nutrients from soil management, fertiliser use and other chemicals like pesticides into water systems. 

In the UK, approximately 60% of nitrates and 25% of phosphorus in water bodies are thought to originate from agricultural activities and it is estimated that 75% of the sediments polluting water bodies are a direct result of farming. 

Unsurprisingly, raw sewage and agricultural runoff can have adverse effects on human health. 

Doctor Deborah Lee from the Dr Fox Online Pharmacy not long ago explained in an interview that as a result of sewage dumping, more than 100 pathogenic viruses found in human and animal faeces can make their way into water sources.

Dumping waste then becomes a cocktail of pathogens harbouring specific strains of coliform bacteria and enteroviruses which can cause hemorrhagic enterocolitis, haemolytic uraemic syndrome, gastroenteritis, cholera, and hepatitis amongst other diseases. 

Often overlooked, however, are the effects on wildlife. Sewage discharge floods rivers with nutrients that aid development of algal blooms. These then prevent light from reaching deeper layers of water, meaning some plants struggle to photosynthesise, reducing the overall oxygen content of water and worsening habitat quality. 

Despite this ongoing and worsening situation, it appears that a nationwide annual health check of England's water bodies which used to take place annually, will now take six years to complete. 

This has prompted anger and raised public alarm amongst campaigners and politicians alike, particularly given that these pressures facing water bodies are not going away anytime soon.

According to Ali Morse, Water Policy Manager at the Wildlife Trusts, 'waters are predicted to remain polluted until 2063 because of long-lasting chemicals'. 

Considering that the UK's Water Framework Directive recently pushed back targets to clean up most of England's rivers, lakes, and coastal waters by 36 years, it is becoming increasingly evident that the UK will struggle to meet this new goal if no action is taken to tackle pollutants and monitor the situation sooner rather than later.

AI and new technologies have come a long way and their uses in protecting ecological environments are becoming more prevalent. 

For example, through the integration of video AI and IoT sensing application technology, Dahua Technology has assisted a province in central and western China in realising intelligent visual monitoring of the discharge of more than 800 key pollution enterprises in 11 prefectures and cities.

Thanks to Dahua's systems, the province can monitor pollution in real time, give warnings of abnormal levels and conduct analysis based on the data collected, enabling greater accuracy and pollution prevention and control in a scientific way. 

Comparably, Vodafone has implemented its IoT technology to monitor water quality and temperatures in Scotland to help ensure the preservation of Antarctic salmon.

The UK clearly continues to grapple with polluted waterways and rivers with the lack of improvement underscoring the ongoing challenge to maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems in the country.

Addressing water source pollution in the UK is not easy, yet an integrated approach that leverages innovative technology offers a swift approach to mitigating the problem in the short term whilst supplementing longer term government initiatives that aim to return sites to favourable and safe conditions.