WORLD WATER WEEK 2025 – Why what we do matters 

This week is World Water Week. A time when the global water community comes together to remind ourselves of the issues we face and discuss how we might address them together. This year the theme is Water for Climate Action. Water is a societal necessity and a global issue. We all have a part to play as consumers, but for those of us who work in the water sector we have a responsibility to ensure the work we do contributes to solving the big challenges we have facing us.

What are the challenges?

What is now obvious is that the climate crisis is also a water crisis. This manifests itself across three main areas: we don’t have enough water due to droughts, a lack of infrastructure and inefficient systems (leakage). There is too much water, by this I mean more intense, more frequent storms leading often to extensive flooding and the water is too dirty, through polluted water bodies and unsafe supply issues.

Here in the UK we are seeing the effects of all three of these areas, often in the news and played out across our devices day in, day out. It can often seem like such a larger issue that we might wonder what impact each of us as individuals and as companies can make? The answer actually is quite a lot.

What should our focus be?

As we mobilise our programmes into AMP8 a lot of our focus is on reducing pollution incidents, reducing storm overflow spills, reducing infiltration into sewer networks, protecting against flooding events and supporting our clients in the development of proactive maintenance strategies to increase the health and resilience of assets.

When we look at the way we execute these programmes, this also can have an impact. Through tactical areas such as increased use of recyclers that require less potable water offtake to clean and maintain sewers, to increased deployment of trenchless technology solutions that are less disruptive, far less carbon intensive and quicker to implement, and into areas of innovation around solutions that extend asset life and performance. Our Sustainable Engineering focus drives us to look for the solutions that support achieving outcomes we desire in the right way.

What can we do?

So yes, these are big problems, but we can make a difference one project at a time. In working in partnership with our clients and educating the communities that are home to our offices and depots, we can raise awareness of the issues, deliver real benefits on the ground and be part of the solution. There is still time to limit the impacts of climate change. To do so will require some bold decisions and impactful behavioural change. We must also ensure we manage the situation that is upon us now and mitigate the impacts of the issues we currently face. Through sound Asset Management and Engineering excellence maybe we can avert the crisis and adapt to the world we will all have to live in.

Mark Kaney
Managing Director for Water & Infrastructure,