OF Jonathan Silberman's article drought (Red Weekly, 9 September) made some useful points, some a little simplistic.
The weather does not remain constant due, amongst other things, to changes in the earth's orbit round the sun.
it appears, no flexibility exists capitalism. to cope with these changes in une envir onment. In the long run only an economy planned for human need, allow us to live in anon. compick aird therefore ultimately stable state of dynamic equilibrium with the plants, animals. air. soil and water of the planet. The 'drought shows that capable of coing this.
What can we fight for now?
1. If water supply is a crucial problem, so is effluent treatment and pollution control, 1.0. what naopens to me been used. As the Norin West Authority [NWWA] pointed out in its First Annual Report. there is a great under-inment, and disposal plant going back over many years Much of the sewerage in Manchester and Merseyside was built between 1830 and 1850. They can't be maintained easily, and anure ano collaose are or me mccast. Since 1939 little has been done to replace old installations, sewers resulting from increased demand is not being met.
2. The fact that water management is so capital intensive means that Investment is a crucial problem. Ine wwwa. innerted a debt of £330 million from its predecessors in 1973, and has spent 40 percent of its Ducoet on deos ano interest payments These charges clearly reduced the capital central wiwetawal funds when the support grant to authorities undertaking wilnorawn. Is nas resulted in under-investment in capital projects. this happened before the present Labour Government demanded cuts, such as the vestment in oublic sewers, sewerace ur