![]() This cost should be disaggregated into at least three water uses: households, industry and agriculture. Opinions diverge as who should fund those investments. According to the Water Framework Directive Member States should recover the cost for water services in accordance with the polluter pays principle. The coastal waters in the Baltic Sea improved due to the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, meaning that in 2016, 86.5% of all coastal bathing waters met at least sufficient water quality standards. The investment also saw an increase in water quality, including bathing water. This was achieved through leakage reduction, renewed and upgraded infrastructure, education and smart networks. In Warsaw alone, individual daily use was estimated at 450 litres in the 1990’s. Thanks to this investment, some Polish cities reduced their water use by 25% on average. Over 76.000km of sewage networks were built, exceeding €14bn in investments. 376 new waste water treatment plants were built and 1.206 were extended or modernised in the 2003-2014 period. Between 20, the European Commission allocated €12.9bn of community funds, which were combined with €4bn of Polish public and private funds, to improving the Polish water infrastructure. Poland – for example – is seeing the benefit of investment in water infrastructure. There is no alternative and the long term payoff is worth it. To meet these challenges and continue delivering safe water today and tomorrow and collect and treat waste water to preserve the aquatic environment, we need to invest in our water supply and sanitation infrastructure. These include adapting to the effects of climate change, resource efficiency and emerging pollutants, which could change how we treat drinking water and wastewater. However, simply stepping up maintenance and replacement is not enough, as substantial new challenges loom. It is positive that the European Commission is assessing member states’ medium-term financing needs related to the supply of safe water and sanitation. Good water infrastructure safeguards supply, protects the environment and saves money in the long term. ![]() Broken or blocked wastewater pipes may cause discharge of untreated sewage into local waterways. This ageing infrastructure represents a potential loss in the quality levels of water supply and sanitation services. ![]() We would need to double our sectors annual investment of €45 billion in order to modernise our infrastructure and protect health, the environment and, at least to some extent, reduce costs. ![]() Investment in water infrastructure is not keeping pace with the challenges we are facing, the growing population, urbanisation or climate change. Segments of the EU’s 7 million kilometres of pipes have been in operation for over 100 years. Many wastewater utilities also manage stormwater, protecting against flooding. Klara Ramm is the chair of the EurEau Committee on Economics and Legal Affairs and an expert at IGWP, the Polish Waterworks Chamber of Commerce.Įurope’s water infrastructure includes the pipe network, pumps and treatment plants that are operated by both public and private water and wastewater utilities. The European Commission is at a pivotal moment and should decide to invest during the next MFF (2021-2027) to reap the health and environmental benefits, and to save money in the long term, writes Klara Ramm. Europe’s water infrastructure is ageing in all EU member states.
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