The parliamentary commission that investigated the quality of the rivers mainly blames water companies, farmers, regulators and the government. Water companies regularly pump raw sewage into rivers and farms, polluting waterways with chemicals. Moreover, due to privatization, water companies prefer paying dividends to their shareholders over investing in water quality, according to the commission. In contrast, regulators mainly try to keep water prices low for consumers and make little effort to improve sewage and sewage systems.

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As a result, 39 of the 42 rivers in which wild salmon are common are at risk. Also, only one river in the country has water clean enough for swimming, and there are even people who have fallen ill, according to the commission.

Parliamentarians believe that citizens should do more to improve water quality. In their report, for example, they spoke of “wet coral reefs” and “fatty mountains the size of blue whales” clogging up sewers. They say the cost of cleaning is more than 100 million pounds (120 million euros) a year.