00:00Water in Wales holds a particularly large cultural significance that may not be present
00:08in other parts of the UK, and water companies will soon be held to account by a new separate
00:13body solely responsible for water here in Wales.
00:17The Welsh and UK governments announced the massive shake-up after a recommendation published
00:21earlier this week suggested Ofwatt, the current watercolour regulator for the whole of England
00:26and Wales, be disbanded and replaced. The Cunliffe review, which looked into how water was being
00:32overseen across England and Wales, recommended a Welsh-Pacific body, given the fact that water
00:37is a devolved issue and the responsibility of the Welsh Government, so the new body will
00:42report directly to Cardiff Bay.
00:46Across the review, it found Ofwatt had not been able to properly keep water companies
00:50in check, with an increase in sewage pollution, leakages and rising water bills. In England
00:55it will be replaced by a new, more powerful organisation that will oversee a number of
01:00different fields, but the exact make-up of what will happen in Wales is as yet unclear,
01:05but looks to be similar in England.
01:08There have been talks of natural resources Wales taking over the role, but critics have
01:11said they are already stretched thin in their current roles overseeing environmental issues
01:15across Wales, so some will call for an entirely new body be formed.
01:21Water is an important part of Welsh culture. Issues like Truerrin, where a Welsh village was
01:25flooded to provide drinking water to England are still significant to people across Wales.
01:30Large parts of England rely on Welsh reservoirs to this day, so this latest step of more water
01:35independence could be seen as a more positive move to protect Welsh interests in water.
01:40James P. Watkins reporting for Local TV.
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