Today, we are looking The WI’s reasons for having the Clean Rivers campaign:

“The state of the UK’s rivers is unacceptable. With only 14 percent of rivers in the country classified as having a “good” ecological status, the need for urgent action is undeniable. Sewage spill events have become alarmingly frequent, with over 300,000 occurrences in England alone in 2022. These spills have in total been going on for more than 1.7 million hours. The pollution from intensive livestock and poultry farming further exacerbates the problem, leading to elevated nutrient levels in rivers.

The government has introduced plans to stop both manure and sewage overflow from entering watercourses. However, plans have been criticised for being unambitious and “too little, too late” to protect our rivers. The effectiveness of regulatory agencies has been hampered by a more than 60 per cent reduction in budgets over the past decade.

Promoting bathing water status would drive efforts to clean up rivers and hold polluting industries accountable. Designated Bathing Waters are the only places in the UK where bacteria levels in open water are monitored and the data published. There are also legal obligations put on polluting industries to clean up where bathing water designation is granted.

“WI members are doing what they do best – rolling their sleeves up and lobbying decision-makers and those in power. We know we can’t wait for the Government and water companies to take action on this issue – site by site, we will clear up our waters for our health, our environments, and for future generations.”  

Ann Jones, Chair of the NFWI

What is the WI doing?

In May 2023, we launched our Clean Rivers campaign to address the crisis in our rivers. The campaign aims to tackle river pollution, in particular through promoting Bathing River Designation.

Since then, we have joined forces with River Action UK and signed the Charter for Rivers, which calls on the government to commit to ambitious yet achievable actions for healthy rivers by 2030.”

Source: https://www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/news-and-events/clean-rivers-campaign-wi-week-of-river-action-11-18-september

On Day 4 of the campaign we will be focusing on river and sea pollution and ways you can help.

In the meantime, why don’t you take part in the WI Virtual Balloon race.

Help to raise funds to support our resolution “Clean Rivers for People and Wildlife” which will improve water quality in rivers and coastal stretches
Help us to bring the benefits of membership of the WI to a wider audience through a targeted campaign.

It costs £3 per virtual balloon and they can be purchased here.

Brockenhurst WI have purchased a Balloon so why not buy one yourself and see if you can beat ours!

Thank you for reading this.