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Environment
"Desalination plant approved for London" is the title of an article by Graham Tibbetts in today's Telegraph.
He quotes a spokesman from the WWF, apparently wearing his "rent 'n environmentalist" hat, who condemns the scheme as too costly, and inappropriate for Britain which he says " is not Yemen and gets lots of rain".
That sent me hotfoot to the keyboard with the following missive:
"This is the UK, not Yemen, and it rains here a lot".
Sorry, Mr. Oates, but you really ought to check your facts before you go talking to the media.
Those of us with a predilection for collecting jaw-dropping statistics have long known that Southend-on-Sea, the driest place in Britain, has less rain each year than Jerusalem.
Out of interest, I have just done a comparison with Yemen.
"Average annual precipitation in Yemen varies from 910 mm (36 inches) to 500 mm (20 inches) depending on the region."
In other words, Southend-on-Sea, with an average annual rainfall of 517mm, is only slightly wetter than the driest place in Yemen with 500mm.
That desalination plant on the Thames estuary is long overdue, and could have been up and running years ago, maintaining the year-round quality of life of those who live and work in London.
It would have been, but for obstruction by the over-opinionated Ken Livingstone, assorted hairshirts and others promoting their allegedly green credentials, whilst ignoring, or ignorant of, the scientific facts and hard reality.
The very idea that Londoners should have to eke out water as though living in a desert oasis is ludicrous."
Posted by Colin Berry on July 19, 2007 6:20 AM
