Sadiq Khan vows to take on Thames Water and make London’s rivers ‘swimmable’ by 2034
Sadiq Khan says he wants to make London’s rivers “swimmable within ten years” in the face of the sewage scandal.
The Labour candidate for mayor of London has unveiled his manifesto, revealing a series of key campaign pledges under the slogan: A Fairer, Safer, Greener London.
Khan, who is running for a record third term at City Hall, set out his plans for inequality, housing, policing, transport, the environment and business in the 70-page pamphlet.
One key pledge in his ‘Greener London’ section saw him vow to take on Thames Water and to “develop a bold plan for swimmable rivers within 10 years”.
The water firm has recently refused to be drawn on rumours swirling about a secret set of re-nationalisation plans – and reports customers’ bills could go up 56 per cent.
Thames Water, which has built up a mammoth £18bn debt pile, is under severe pressure to come up with fresh funding or face either collapse or being taken into public ownership.
The incumbent mayor said: “The levels of sewage that water companies are pouring into our rivers is a scandal. I will not stand by and allow this to continue.
“As well as demanding clear action from Thames Water, I will launch an ambitious plan to make rivers in London swimmable within ten years.
“This will include working with partners to reverse the damage to our rivers and waterways.”
And in a nod to his efforts to improve the capital’s air quality, he added: “We’ve made huge progress in cleaning up London’s air – exceeding expectations. Now it’s time to clean up our waterways too.”
It comes as across the Channel, the Paris city government is working to clean up the River Seine in time for the Olympics, set to be held in France this summer.
However, despite serious efforts – including a giant rainwater filtering tank to clean the river water – there are concerns heavy rainfall could scupper the work by raising the E-coli levels, according to the Mail.
This could see athletes relocate to one of the city’s pools – or even complete duathlon instead of a triathlon.