Survey Reveals Covid-19 Impact on Water Supply Chain
Dec 07, 2020
Large parts of the UK water and wastewater supplier community have seen a fall in business turnover during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to findings of a British Water impact survey, published on Wednesday 25 November.
While the decrease had been slight for 41% of supply chain respondents, for nearly 30% it had been significant, with a third of businesses furloughing “many” employees. Looking ahead, 32% of companies expected turnover to decrease over the next six to 12 months, although 35% expected it to stay the same.
British Water undertook the survey in October 2020 to assess the impact Covid-19 had had on individual companies to date, and their future expectations and concerns.
As lead representative body for the UK water industry supply chain, it reached out to members and non-members to establish a complete picture of how companies across all levels had been affected.
Other insights included:
- 20% of companies that responded had experienced cashflow concerns, although 62% had not (the remainder preferred not to say)
- 27% had made staff redundancies, 65% had not
- To help maintain cashflow, 10% of respondents stopped new strategic investments
- The crisis had had a significant impact on the wellbeing of respondents and their colleagues
- Just over 70% felt the support offered by British Water throughout the crisis had been good or excellent
Thanking the 178 individuals who responded, British Water chief executive Lila Thompson said: “The water and wastewater community has been absolutely critical in protecting and maintaining public health throughout the Covid-19 crisis. During this time, the sector has clearly faced its own challenges but has proven its resilience and agility.
“We are determined to continue to offer the right support to the supply chain throughout the next stages of the pandemic, so companies can continue to offer their essential services and emerge from the crisis in a strong position. The valuable insights received from our survey will help shape this support.”
More News and Articles
Jul 24, 2024
News
UK utilities place multiple orders for settlement tank technology
Northumbrian Water, Southern Water, and Dŵr Cymru upgrading wastewater sites
Three UK water utilities have agreed orders for the installation of a total of six conical settlement …
Jul 22, 2024
Article
Reusing wastewater, rethinking water: Maharashtra's roadmap
How Maharashtra turns wastewater into a resource
Water resource management is a critical issue globally, and in India, the state of Maharashtra is pioneering efforts to regulate and …
Jul 19, 2024
News
Kansas City advances fire hydrant leak detection technology
An acoustic fixed-base pipe monitoring technology that uses fire hydrants to host multi-sensor devices, has already found more than 30 leaks for Kansas City Water, says Lou Rossetti …
Jul 17, 2024
News
When two bores right a wrong
The Edge Underground team is adamant: there is always a risk of things going wrong on a trenchless project, even for the most prepared contractor.
Experience and having the right equipment can be the difference between …
Jul 15, 2024
News
Adapting to a region’s growing water and wastewater needs
Gippsland Water has completed two major projects to provide local communities with water security. Trenchless Australasia takes a look at the two projects helping increase water supply …
Jul 12, 2024
News
Connections made in Glastonbury
Difficult ground conditions called for a specialist solution when new PE pipes for potable water services had to be installed underneath two, 10-metre road crossings in the grounds of the UK’s ultimate music festival …
Jul 10, 2024
Article
The Water-Energy Nexus: Interdependence and Challenges
Niclas Andersson, CEO of AirWater2All, explains the connection between water and energy. The importance of this connection and the areas in which it needs to be considered are explained …
Jul 08, 2024
News
Minimising cultural impacts with trenchless technology
Yarra Valley Water is leveraging the benefits of trenchless technology to lessen impacts on the Upper Darebin Creek branch sewer project.
The project consists of building a 2.7km sewer pipe …
Jul 05, 2024
News
SprayWall: Reinforcing Underground Infrastructure with Unmatched Strength
In the trenchless technology industry, finding a rehabilitation solution that offers ease of installation and exceptional structural integrity is paramount.
For three decades, …
Jul 01, 2024
News
“Don’t let stereotypes hold you back”
Trenchless Australasia sat down with Rob Carr project manager Marie Piette to discuss her career and work at the microtunnelling contracting company.
From Norway to Cambodia and now Perth, Western Australia, …
Jun 28, 2024
News
Transforming Wastewater: Towards Climate-Neutral Sewage Treatment
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann recently toured the Büsnau Training and Research Sewage Treatment Plant, where a pioneering project led by researchers …
Jun 26, 2024
News
Bothar advances with significant new contracts
Having commenced work on the Fitzroy to Gladstone Pipeline earlier this year, Bothar Boring and Tunnelling has announced the award of further contracts as part of its ongoing collaboration with …
Contact
British Water
Lila Thompson
Chief Executive
Unit V103, Vox Studios, 1-45 Durham St
SE11 5JH London
United Kingdom
Phone:
+44 20 3567 0950