Singing for Clean Water

Sheffield Climate Choir made a splash as they gathered in Millhouses Park on Sunday on the banks of the River Sheaf. They were there to celebrate our rivers in song and to get an important message out to Yorkshire Water and the public. We can’t tolerate dirty rivers any more. 

Choir member Izzy Price said “I’m here today at the clean water demonstration because I’m furious. Since privatisation people heading up water companies have taken fat salaries, huge bonuses and been paying dividends for running failing companies while ordinary people’s water bills go up to compensate for their mismanagement. And they’re set to increase our bills to mend leaks, repair infrastructure, perhaps build more reservoirs (which hasn’t happened) and I just think it’s outrageous.”

Steph Howlett, who coordinates the Choir, introduced the singing by saying Sheffield Climate Choir is one of 18 around the country. You can find out about the movement here.  “Sheffield is famously a city of five rivers, but rivers around the country are being contaminated by sewage spills, agricultural runoff,  and other pollutants that suffocate and poison fish, plants and invertebrates and destroy biodiversity. Yorkshire Water is one of the worst water companies in the country for sewage spills, but they are increasing our bills while paying huge bonuses to their CEO and handing out large profits to shareholders. So we are singing today as part of the national campaign by the Climate Choir Movement, to celebrate our rivers and also to campaign for clean water.

Sheffield Climate Choir meets from 5-6.30 pm on the first Sunday of every month, starting in September. You can contact them at sheffield@climatechoirmovement.org

Some of the songs had been written especially for the day. I have to share with you the lyrics of this one, which is sung to the tune of Daisy, Daisy. Words by Izzy Price

Yorkshire Water what are you going to do?

We’re half crazy  – we swim, fish and surf in poo.

Let’s stop calling it ‘spilling’

The amounts you discharge are chilling

It’s morally wrong, there’s such a pong

And you know it’s illegal too.

Fines and anger, what is all that to you?

You just blank it, keep doing what you do.

No investment in infrastructure –

No wonder sewers rupture!

We’re far from thrilled with rising bills

To compensate for you.

Pure clean water, from tap and in waterway,

Good for our health, as we work, rest and play.

Good for wildlife and planet,

Can’t be bad for anything, can it?

So water clean, in sea and stream,

Is our demand today.

The choir were calling on the public to do various things. The most simple was to sign the Greenpeace petition to stop sewage pollution, which has nearly reached half a million signatures. Greenpeace says “Raw sewage is destroying our beaches, rivers and waterways. Swimmers have been urged to stay out of the water and our fragile ecosystems are struggling to cope. Our waters have reached crisis point after years of budget cuts and deregulation.

Stripped of funds and power, environmental agencies can’t police these crimes against nature. Sewage monitors at a quarter of our beaches are faulty or non-existent, meaning people could be swimming in human waste without knowing. Every single one of our rivers now fails to meet safety standards, with few deemed to be in ‘good health’ – this is due to sewage, chemical and agricultural pollution flooding our waterways.

The health of our water is paramount. The government must prioritise safe, clean water – we urgently need more protections so everyone can enjoy our public rivers and beaches, and to preserve our waterways for generations to come. 

The petition demands 

“Clean up and protect our beaches, rivers and waterways:

1. Reverse the budget cuts and properly fund environmental agencies

2. Give environmental agencies the legal powers and authority they need to hold water companies to account

3. Set more ambitious legal targets to clean up water in England and Wales than currently planned ”

Another idea is to join the Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust, to learn more about your local rivers, and join in clean-ups and guided tours. Individual life membership is a bargain at just £10. 

Citizen Science is becoming increasingly important in monitoring the changes happening in nature. To monitor river health UK Water Blitz recruits volunteers to test their local river for nitrate and phosphate pollution. Of course, the Environment Agency should be doing this but decades of government cuts mean they just haven’t got the resources. Last September 4500 people helped analyse river quality. 60% of the results showed poor water quality. These results can then be used to discover where the pollution is coming from. Sign up now to get involved this September. 

The public has a responsibility too, so the leaflet urged people to save water by doing things like turning the tap off when they brush their teeth and not spending too long in the shower. If you are lucky enough to have a garden install a water butt to collect rainwater to water your vegetables and flowers. It’s also important to consider the cleaning products you use. Karine Nohr wrote about this in an earlier post.

Another ask of the public was to be careful with their dogs. Most dogs love to jump in the river, but if they have had flea treatment this will wash off into the river up to a month after they have been treated. Flea powders usually contain chemicals which are toxic to many forms of life including insect larvae of mayflies and dragonflies. It then continues up the food chain and affects the fish, birds and bats. So avoid flea powders that contain Imidacloprid or Fipronil or keep your dog on a lead when you get to the river. 

Extinction Rebellion’s Dirty Water campaign is challenging people to stop paying the sewage part of their water bill. This comes with a warning that it may affect your credit rating, but remember how the non-payment of Poll Tax made Margaret Thatcher’s Government U-turn. Damaging the Water Company’s profits is probably the most effective way of getting the message to them. 

The Government should bring all the Water Companies back into public control as soon as possible. Almost everyone acknowledges that water privatisation has failed. The main argument the government now uses against public ownership is the cost of buying back the water companies.

Research from the University of Greenwich has found that an average of 35% of customer bills in 2023-2024 was taken out to pay for the interest on the companies’ ever-growing debt piles, and to pay dividends to the shareholders.

You are paying a privatisation tax for the dividends and debt of these companies.

We Own It campaigns to bring water Companies back into Public Ownership.

Water regulator Ofwat has fined Thames Water millions for sewage and dividend breaches. It’s great that pressure from people like us has finally made them hold water bosses to account. Thames Water could be the first of many water companies fined for breaking the rules and paying executives outrageous bonuses while our bills soar.

UK water companies are planning to raise our bills by up to 44% over the next five years.  That’s hundreds of pounds extra per household during a cost of living crisis.

Water is essential, it shouldn’t be a luxury. Action Organise are campaigning on this too and want you to complete a short survey.

There was also recently a big gathering of the Climate Choir Movement on the River Wye and local climate choirs are organising Sings for Clean Water all over the country.

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