Rain could become Wales' "oil of the future" if the country starts to send water to parts of the UK in a drought, an expert has said. After a proposed plan was suggested to pull water from a Powys reservoir to supply London during future droughts, questions have been raised as to whether Wales should charge for its rainwater.
Professor Roger Falconer of Cardiff University, who is an expert in water management and engineering, has said that if Wales should supply water to other countries it "should be paid for". However, there are concerns that this could strike division across the UK. You can read about where Wales' water actually ends up here.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Prof Falconer said: "We would, under drought conditions, be supplying water directly to the South East of England. And I would see this as Wales’ oil for the future in terms of revenue. If we are supplying water to other parts of the UK from Wales it should be paid for."
Read more: Photos show how low the water level is in Welsh reservoir in drought-hit area
The professor claims that people had been looking at this idea since the early 1980s and that he has previously met with Boris Johnson on the issue when he was mayor of London. Two water companies that border Wales, Severn Trent Water and United Utilities, would need an abstraction licence to pump water out of the country but could generate millions of litres of water a day. With increasing pressure on water companies in south-east England due to population growth and climate change, Prof Falconer thinks there will be an increased interest in such schemes.
However, there are concerns that charging England for water would see England asking for alternative payments from the Welsh Government. David TC Davies, MP for Monmouth, told the BBC that it would 'stir up divisions'.
"That would stir up the sort of divisions where people elsewhere will be saying ‘why are we sending nearly £1b over to Wales for growth deals', or 'why should Wales benefit from electricity that does on the grid that is developed in Hinkey', and then this is the sort of conversations nationalists want because it will stir up hatred and division on both sides," he said.
"When you think of the implications of this it doesn’t work out at all because everyone else will want to charge, and at the end of the day we are all one United Kingdom."
Independence group YesCymru has launched a petition calling for a full debate on the issue in the Senedd, saying Wales should control its own natural resources. They say that Wales is already exporting its natural resources to other parts of the UK and are getting no benefits.
Chairman Elfed Williams said: "We’re already pumping over 250bn litres of Welsh water to England and we are already not getting any benefit of that. Yes, we do think the Welsh Senedd should be looking at this choice. We have produced coal, steel and all these natural resources we have had in Wales over the years and we are still a relatively poor country. So yes, we do think the Senedd should be having a debate on running our own resources.
"Nothing comes for free does it? It’s about time that out communities should have some benefit from what we produce naturally here in Wales."
Last week GMB London, a water workers' union, said the Lake Vyrnwy reservoir in Powys should be considered by Thames Water and United Utilities as a possible water source for drought-stricken areas of England. The plan would involve transferring water from the Severn to the Thames via a new pipeline, or using restored canals in the Cotswolds.
A drought was declared in Pembrokeshire, as well as other parts of Wales last Friday. The areas affected by the drought include North Ceredigion (Rheidol, Aeron, Ystwyth), Teifi, Pembrokeshire (Eastern and Western Cleddau), Carmarthn (Tywi and Taf), Swansea and Llanelli (Tawe and Loughor), Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend (Neath, Afan, Ogmore). On top of this, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water announced a hosepipe ban for more than 60,000 households served by Llys-y-Frân reservoir.
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