We Need to Look After Our Rivers!
The UK's rivers are suffering
Rivers are vital, both as a habitat for numerous species of plants and animals but also for humans, supplying drinking water, irrigating crops and supporting fisheries, as well as offer opportunities for recreation, and giving rise to spiritual and cultural traditions across the world.
Every year, 14 March is the International Day of Action for Rivers, giving us an opportunity to think about how much we owe to rivers.
I have a close connection to one of Edinburgh’s rivers, the Water of Leith, as I patrol the river most weeks, recording wildlife, sometimes picking litter and reporting on issues such as sewage spills.
I wrote more about the Water of Leith in September 2024
The Water of Leith runs from the Pentland Hills into Edinburgh and then eventually joins the River Forth at Leith. In the Dells, the water often looks brown due to the peat brought down from the hills. Further downstream, the brown colour is likely not solely due to peat from the hills.
Sewage was dumped into UK waterways at least 585,000 times in 2024, which is quite frankly shocking.
The recent Channel 4 docu-drama Dirty Business (which if you’re in the UK, you can catch up on here) investigates the current appalling state of rivers in the UK. Using information gathered over the past decade, the series shares the stories of whistleblowers and people whose lives have been devastated by illness caused by coming into contact with sewage contaminated water. You can read about the real people behind the series in this article on the Guardian website.
If the state of our waters horrifies you as much as it horrifies me, please consider signing this petition to end the sewage pollution scandal.
Sewage isn’t the only pollution in our rivers. There’s also run-off of agricultural chemicals and individuals aren’t free of blame either. Many people inappropriately dispose of household items down the drains. Unblocktober is a campaign (taking part throughout the month of October) which encourages people to become mire thoughtful about how they dispose of waste. I wrote about the campaign in October 2024
We all deserve clean, healthy rivers that support a range of wildlife and that offer appealing places to visit and enjoy. You can help by:
supporting camaigning charities such as River Action and Surfers Against Sewage;
joining a local group to look after your local river, such as the Water of Leith Conservation Trust in Edinburgh.
Bird Corner
On Saturday, we visited Musselburgh, and walked along part of the John Muir Walkway along the Firth of Forth. We were delighted to see many birds, but the most wonderful was hearing the first Skylarks of the year. One was, as you would expect, singing high up in the sky. Another was sitting in the grass, singing!
Snow Bear (short film)
This is a beautiful hand drawn animated film about a polar bear looking for a friend. Watch it here.