David Levy – The Source of the next major epidemic – Nov 23
It’s November 1st 2023, and that means nearly 24 years since the Millenium took place. This was a really significant moment in time when we took stock of achievements and failures in the realm of the environment and environmental practices.
What was clear to me was that many environmental practices dated back to the Victorian era and, frankly, had not changed even with legislation and an increased population explosion. Infrastructure remained grounded in the past, and waste service providers remained focused on manipulating local government so they could continue providing antiquated services. In the case of water management, that meant dumping into our rivers and sea of untreated sewage as a regular practice.
National government deliberately kept their noses out of local government decisions, and so the process remained static. Each authority blamed the other for failures, with none of them up to the task of bringing the water industry into the 21st Century.
That still remains the case today, and I see no clear thinking from any of the parties that will promote change for the better. Even after a new 2021 Environment Act, additional legislation is needed to deliver changes that can be, and have been, delayed for years.
Meanwhile, repeated breaches of dumping untreated sewage happens with high frequency whilst the Environment Agency is unable to control the practice by water companies. Fines are too irregular and the public demand better.
My fear is that with such attitudes towards human health and the high probability of antibiotics losing their potency, it will not be long before a major plague will be on our doorstep and this will come from our water in the environment.
David Levy
