Pyramid Comment

This journal takes an alternative view on current affairs and other subjects. The approach is likely to be contentious and is arguably speculative. The content of any article is also a reminder of the status of those affairs at that date. All comments have been disabled. Any and all unsolicited or unauthorised links are absolutely disavowed.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Water And Houses

There are currently comments being made about anticipated water shortages. This may be a real expectation, but is it preparing the ground for raised tariffs? The known problem of damaged pipework has to be paid for and the amount of wasted water is enormous (apparently).

Government proposals to increase the number of houses built in the next 12 months will already place a heavy demand on existing sewers. A great deal of additional underground work will need to be undertaken to match such proposed building. The situation suggests too many houses and an inadequate capacity to deal with waste. An infrastructure issue. Who pays? Is all the new capacity to be subsidised by other homeowners?

It should not be overlooked that a new estate will, no doubt, have state-of-the-art sewers on the estate, but they will be connected to the leaky old national one. The new (minority) mixed with the old (majority). Rainfall will be low and so won't place a demand on sewerage, but then again: water shortages will justify restrictions/price increases.

It's supposed to be something amazing that a water shortage and imposed usage restrictions has not affected water authority profits. It's obvious since there is no actual connection of the one with the other. Restrictions and fines are imposed as the usage of water inevitably goes down, but no advance payments are returned to the user who cannot use it. The money keeps 'pouring' in and the use gets less.

Profits are in fact likely to go up.

Automatically.

Hardly rocket science