The UK is experiencing "poonami" - sewage crisis. The environmental group Greenpeace said water companies poured toilet waste into rivers and seas for more than 300,000 hours in 2022. Many people have complained about becoming sick after swimming in sea. Others expressed concerns about terrible smell on beaches, or horrible brown colour of water. The research company Savanta conducted poll about people's opinions on poor quality of water. Almost quarter of swimmers said they might not swim in the sea this year because of risk. Last week, at least 57 people got diarrhoea after competing in sea swimming events at World Triathlon Championship.
England and Wales are only countries in world to have privatized their water and sewage services. UK government sold its water to private companies in 1987. The companies promised to spend billions of pounds on making services better. However, many Britons have complained that things have become much worse. privatized companies have not invested enough money in stopping leaks or in modernizing systems. Since 1991, they have paid over £2 billion year to their shareholders. Water campaigner and ex-rock star Feargal Sharkey is angry with water companies. He said they have failed to create quality system. He also blamed UK government for not acting.
