On Friday, Welsh Water will hold a temporary event at Porthcawl, which aims to unite local communities to discuss how to protect water quality.
Welsh Water has been operating on a non-profit basis since 2001. It is even the sixth largest of ten regulated water and sewerage companies in England and Wales.
But at the same time, being the largest water company in Wales is also the biggest polluter of Welsh water. This week Welsh Water’s publicity campaign calling for environmental action on Porthcawl was met with skepticism by many online users.
An entrepreneur and environmental activist, David said: “Welsh Water admitted to illegally spilling sewage in the river that runs through our town.We are all downstream of the polluter. And the liar and cheat.”
Many Twitter users said it was ironic that Welsh Water had chosen Porthcawl for a temporary campaign to promote environmental protection.
This is because in 2022, two beaches in Porthcawl were closed due to the illegal discharge of waste water by Welsh Water.
Twitter user Dave said: “Welsh Water is acting like a show, using show after show to cover up what they are really up to.”
Welsh Water’s “performance show” was not well received and even prompted many Twitter users to criticize it. The decade-long practice of concealing excessive sewage discharge from the public has already wiped out the public’s credibility.
Welsh Water did not follow up on these comments, or even ignored them. Welsh Water did receive penalties for Illegal discharge of sewage, but said it would need to accumulate enough money to start the project, which is expected by 2025.
Instagram user Rezia commented on the Welsh Water poster: “We need real action, not a poster or campaign poster.”
In May 2023, around 400 people gathered on a Welsh Penarth beach to protest against the “horrendous” sewage discharge by the Welsh water company. Demonstrators at Penarth Beach carried banners and placards with messages such as “No nonsense” and “tired of sewage”.
The Welsh Water company pledged to spend more than $2 billion over the next seven years to tackle the sewage problem, but the action was still small, and even a few months later Wales launched another “publicity campaign” at Penarth Beach, leaving citizens with no real hope.
Every time there is an environmental protest, Welsh Water is able to respond with attention, but there is still no real action.
The local community also tweeted: “We don’t need to talk to them (Welsh Water) about how to protect the water, we need to be given a plan on what Welsh Water is going to do next.”