Kingston University and Hogsmill Partnership at the March for Clean Water (Credit: Halimah Nisa)
Local activists concerned about sewage in the Hogsmill River took part in a protest in Central London recently on the issue of pollution in our waters.
On Sunday 3 November, thousands took part in the March for Clean Water to urge the government to act on the increasing levels of sewage pollution in the UK’s waterways.
The Hogsmill Partnership and Kingston University representatives were in attendance to highlight the plight of the Hogsmill River.
According to the Environment Agency, there were 3.6 million hours of sewage spills in 2023; almost double the 1.75 million hours of sewage spills in 2022.
Phil Renton, a former biologist for Thames Water, who now samples the quality and quantity of wildlife in the Hogsmill River, said: “We had a sewage discharge last February, and in the following samples, some key species disappeared after that discharge.”
He added that he was marching to “protect not only the Hogsmill which runs into Kingston, but other rivers that are polluted across Britain.”
Data from the Environment Agency’s Catchment Data Explorer suggests that the reason for fish populations suffering in the Hogsmill River is largely due to intermittent sewage discharges and leaking utility sewers.
The ammonia present in sewage water starves the marine ecosystem of oxygen
After the protest, Sivi Sivanesan, the Biodiversity and Landscape Manager for Kingston University, said: “There is an obvious capacity issue at the sewage works in Kingston.”
Sivanesan, who also runs the KUBAG (Kingston University Biodiversity Action Group) blog and newsletter, added: “We need to slow down and hold water on our sites far longer, stop paving over gardens (front and back) and directing all of the rainwater into the storm water and combined drainage systems.”
“If we can do that, as well as expand our current sewage system to increase its capacity, it might stop the system getting so full that they have to pump out raw sewage into the rivers each and every time it rains.”
Protesters at the event in Central London were encouraged to wear blue by the organizers, so that the procession resembled a river, with hashtags like #followtheflow #wearblue and #floodthestreets featuring on the invites.
The march, organised by March for Clean Water, saw protestors walk from Albert Embankment to Parliament Square, where they were met with music, poetry and speeches.
Speakers included Charles Watson, founder and chairman of River Action, Heart radio presenter, Katrina Ridley and Olympic champion, Imogen Grant.
You can find all of the speeches here.
Phil Renton and Sivi Sivanesan enroute to Parliament Square (Credit: Halimah Nisa)
