Boris Johnson reveals £1.3 trillion plan to fix London’s water shortages
As London races towards a record population size of 8.6m people next year, topping its previous population record in 1939, it could face daily water shortages of up to 60m litres, according to the latest figures from Thames Water.
By 2050, as London reaches an expected population of 11.3m people in the capital, its daily water deficit is set to reach 522m litres per day, or 26 per cent of the total daily supply.
The worrying figures, released by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson as part of his London Infrastructure Plan 2050, call for an unprecedented £1.3 trillion investment in London’s infrastructure by 2050 to solve a host of issues such as London’s growing water deficit.
“This plan is a real wake up call to the stark needs that face London over the next half century,” said Johnson yesterday. “Infrastructure underpins everything we do and we all use it every day. Without a long term plan for investment and the political will to implement it this city will falter. Londoners need to know they will get the homes, water, energy, schools, transport, digital connectivity and better quality of life that they expect.”
Johnson’s plan includes new projects – such as a South London Metro and an Outer London Orbital – to deal with a 70 per cent rise in demand, 50,000 homes to be built every year and transformed energy and water networks.