- A new report by Water UK indicates England lacks sufficient water to support the government's target of building 1.5 million new homes.
- The analysis suggests there is only enough water for 420,000 homes, significantly short of the target, primarily due to bureaucratic obstacles and regulations hindering new water infrastructure.
- The trade body highlights that current rules are based on unrealistic predictions of future water use, particularly by excluding the growing demand from data centres.
- Data centres, currently using 6.6 million litres of water daily (equivalent to 20,000 homes), are projected to triple their consumption by 2030, yet are excluded from national water resource planning.
- Water UK is urging changes to the national framework for water resources to account for actual and future demand, including data centres, to prevent housing development freezes and increased water restrictions.
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