Inside Salisbury: The March for Clean Water
Extinction Rebellion Salisbury joined Chris Packham and Liz Bonnin
by Annette J Beveridge
SEWAGE and forever chemicals in rivers and the ocean has been a point of much discussion but the drive to clean up waterways is why activists from Salisbury joined the March for Clean Water in London at the weekend.
Extinction Rebellion Salisbury (XR) joined more than 130 organisations and thousands of demonstrators to demand immediate action to address the state of the UK rivers and coastline.
Led by TV broadcaster and naturalist Chris Packham, speakers included Liz Bonnin, president of the Wildlife Trusts, Olympic Rower Dr Imogen Grant and the founder of River Action, Charles Watson.
Salisbury Extinction Rebellion activist, Di Cross, said: “I went up to London because I am appalled at what is happening – and despite all the publicity recently, the situation is getting much worse.
“We heard that raw sewage was discharged into our waterways for more than 3.6 million hours in 2023 – an increase of 105% on 2022 – and no single stretch of river in England or Northern Ireland is deemed to be in good overall health.”
The march started on the Albert Embankment and finished on Parliament Green outside the Houses of Parliament.
Di Cross added: “Salisbury is renowned for its five rivers but according to the website Top of the Poops, local water company Wessex Water was responsible for at least 41,453 sewage overflows in 2023. Then there’s agricultural run-off and single-use plastics added to the mix. It’s more a case of five open sewers, rather than five rivers.”
Organisers invited people to take water samples from their local waterways and these were added to a giant water vessel.
River Action arranged the march calling for the UK Government to end the travesty of polluted rivers, lakes, seas, and reservoirs by reforming regulations, enforcing the law and stopping pollution for profit.
More than 130 organisations joined the march including the RSPB, and Surfers Against Sewage representing more than 10 million supporters.
Dr Richard Sharp said: “I joined the March for Clean Water because the way we treat our rivers and streams is symptomatic of the disregard with which we treat nature and the planet generally.
“While pollution of our rivers, streams and coastline with sewage is bad enough, the increasing reports of forever chemicals being detected in our drinking water is even more alarming. Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) used in a range of industrial processes have been found in drinking water and are linked to cancers, thyroid disease and disruption of the immune system. Time to wake up and recognise that things have to change.”
Anyone interested in protecting and restoring the quality of rivers, there is still time to sign River Action’s petition.
