Water Minister outlines 2050 vision at World Water-Tech Innovation Summit

The Water Minister spoke at the World Water‑Tech Innovation Summit about the government's New Vision for Water White Paper, published last month, and set out plans for long-term reforms toward a digitally enabled, resilient water system by 2050.

The Water Minister spoke at the World Water-Tech Innovation Summit about the government's New Vision for Water White Paper, published last month. The article describes the White Paper as a once-in-a-generation reform intended to create a water system ready for 2050. The minister referenced recent site visits, including Havant Thicket Reservoir and the Saltford Water Recycling Plant, to illustrate long-term investment and evolving treatment practices. The speech emphasised that collaboration across companies, investors, communities, engineers and environmental scientists will be key to delivering the plan. Key points: - The White Paper sets a long-term New Vision for Water and places regional water system planning at the heart of reform. - The government plans a £104 billion spending programme over the next five years and expects to create 30,000 skilled jobs. - Nine new reservoirs have been kickstarted, including Havant Thicket Reservoir, described as the first major new reservoir in more than three decades. - Treatment works are described as evolving into resource-recovery facilities, with the Saltford Water Recycling Plant cited as an example. - The minister said the future system should be data-driven, with real-time visibility enabled by sensors, smart meters, satellite data and AI analytics. - The article says strategic guidance will be published across 5, 10 and 25-year horizons, and competition for major projects will be enhanced. Summary: The speech frames reform as a long-term programme to modernise the water system by combining infrastructure investment, nature-based approaches, digital tools and market changes. The next steps noted in the article include rolling out the £104 billion spending programme, publishing strategic guidance across multiple planning horizons, and implementing regional water system planning.