The imperial capital: Rome. The largest city on Earth. Population 1,000,000. Mankind: The Story of All of Us III, History Channel 2012
The State provides hand-outs to the poor. ibid.
The aqueduct is powered by gravity: it needs to drop one foot in every three hundred. ibid.
Rome’s aqueducts will deliver almost a billion litres of water a day. ibid.
Rome is the most advanced city in the world. Apartment blocks up to six stories high. ibid.
A police force, a fire brigade and a postal service. ibid.
England’s nine water firms have been allowed to amass debts of around £50 billion, while paying out at least £57 billion to shareholders, since water was privatised in 1989. Anoosh Chakelian, tweet August 2022
Hawaii: The US Navy stores 200 million gallons of in tanks buried 100 feet above O’ahu’s biggest aquifer. Known as Red Hill, the facility has leaked fuel regularly for decades. In November, leaked fuel was found in tap water at 350 times the safe limit. The Navy has tried to cover up the disaster which mainly poisoned military families. Abby Martin, The Empire Files: Hawaiians Fight US Navy for Polluting Island’s Water, Abby Martin online 2021
On December 12th 2021 native Hawaiians went to the gates of the US Navy Command. ibid.
An incredible feat of engineering … Constantinople’s water system was one of the most sophisticated in the world, a network of aqueducts, channels and reservoirs. Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World s1e6: Istanbul, Channel 4 2021
The 50 billion’ worth of debt water companies are in has gone to maximise shareholder’ profits. Not a penny spent to improve infrastructure. While the rest of us are forced to swim in shit. Anita tweet 11th May 2023
As a drought hits Britain and a fifth of drinking water goes to waste through leaks, we investigate why water companies are still dumping untreated sewage into our rivers and seas. And reveal how companies are breaking the law. Dispatches: Britain’s Water Scandal, Channel 4 2022
Why the Environment Agency is not up to the job. ibid.
The state of our rivers and seas is so bad that some water companies are now under criminal investigation over their sewage dumping practices. ibid.
Sewage is being routinely released in our rivers and seas. So why isn’t the pollution being stopped? We reveal how regulation is failing. How water companies can cheat environmental tests. And how the companies can make pollution incidents disappear. Panorama: The Water Pollution Cover-Up, BBC 2023
Blackpool: This year the beach was awash with sewage. ibid.
Water companies have paid billions to shareholders while dumping vast amounts of sewage. So how do they get away with it? Panorama: The Water Company’s Murky Business, BBC 2024
Thames are in big trouble. They’re in the front seat of this slow-motion car crash. Thames Water: Inside the Crisis I, comment, BBC 2025
We should be thoroughly outraged by this. We have been scammed. ibid. Fergal Sharkey
I’m working for a company that’s on its knees, and the people running it, seem to me like they’re running it into the ground. ibid. employee
The Good News: Profit: £140 million. The Bad News: Debt: £15 billion. ibid. caption
Thames Water says it will run out of money by next June. ibid. employee
Nobody comes to work to put shit in rivers. ibid.
Raw sewage overflowing into rivers and streams – these are the obvious signs of trouble at Thames Water. ibid. news
The system is stretched to the absolute maximum it can. ibid. employee
These storm tanks are 1935. ibid.
Last year, the amount of sewage in the River Thames quadrupled. ibid. news
The biggest thing that shocked me is that state of our sites. ibid. employee
Thames has catagorically underinvested. ibid.
Ofwat have labelled our plan inadequate. ibid. CEO
This whole industry has become nothing more than a legitimate rip-off. ibid. Fergal Sharkey
Unfortunately, we have seen a high number of fish kill. ibid. employee
Thames Water has run up debts of more than £15 billion, and wants to put up customer bills by more than 50%. Thames Water: Inside the Crisis II
Thames Water has received the biggest fine of £100 [£104] million. ibid. TV News
If we don’t get it sorted, we will end up polluting the Thames. ibid. employee
Things can go wrong very quickly. ibid.
Finding a route out of this, an investment is really important. ibid. director of communications
We’ve been spilling to the river for two weeks on the trot. ibid. Whitney works
A short-term cash loan of up to £3 billion has been extended to the company by creditors. ibid. comment
So the interest cost is a coupon of 9.75%. It is comparable to other transactions of this nature. ibid. CFO
Total debt: £18 billion. Estimated interest and fees: £800 million. ibid. captions
All the profits that the company made were paid out in dividends, particularly in a period between 2006-2017. ibid. comment
We’re not in a good place. ibid. employee
Labour: The self-professed party of change led by the human yawn that is Keir Starmer … Let’s pretend any of this matters. Just Some Geezer: Labour 2024 Manifesto Review
Speaking of shit, we should be bringing our water companies back under public ownership. ibid.