The Portsmouth Youth Cabinet has taken a significant step in their fight against illegal sewage dumping by launching a powerful video campaign aimed at holding Southern Water to account.
The campaign, SOS Save Our Solent, seeks to raise awareness about the ecological damage caused by sewage dumping in the Solent and demands immediate action from Southern Water.
The young people are urging Southern Water to do more to prevent storm overflows and have come up with the solution – water butts.
They are demanding that Southern Water invest all of their profits in providing free water butts to private homes throughout the region, starting with the places that will have the most impact.
The youth cabinet is proposing that Southern Water initiates the rollout of free water butts by the end of 2023, starting with areas that will have the most significant impact on water usage. They advocate for Southern Water to invest all of its profits into this initiative until the rollout is complete, with a target to finalize the distribution by the end of 2024.
Water butts are an effective method for collecting and storing rainwater, reducing the demand for treated water and promoting water conservation.
Southern Water trialled providing free water butts to homes on the Isle of Wight, which saw spills caused by storm overflows reduce by 70 per cent.
The water company recently said that they are ‘working to secure the funding to scale the rollout further’, however, they have not since proposed any plans to invest profits into this.
The Youth Cabinet’s video, which set out their plans, premiered at the Final Straw Foundation’s Summer Youth Eco Conference. It focuses on highlighting the devastating consequences of illegal sewage dumping in the Solent.
The Youth Cabinet believes that providing free water butts is a practical and tangible step towards a sustainable future.
By alleviating the financial burden for households and promoting water-saving habits, this initiative has the potential to make a substantial impact on water conservation efforts in the region.
The youth cabinet’s campaign, which was funded by Save The Children and has been created alongside Engendering Change and HLD Media, has gained significant traction among local businesses and environmental organisations including Final Straw Foundation.
The Youth Cabinet has launched a petition to turn the heat up on Southern Water and is encouraging as many people as possible to sign it to ensure that the water company takes action.
You can sign the petition here and watch the full video here.
