Water pressure

According to the “State of Public Health in Norway 2010” report published by the Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet), many water and sewerage pipes lie in the same ditch. As neither are completely sealed any more, contamination of the water supply by bacteria and viruses often occurs.

“Replacement and repair work to rotting pipes is so slow, that the problem of polluted drinking water will most probably increase in the coming years,” the authority concludes.

More than 35 percent of the water supply disappears into the ground before it reaches the consumer and, in keeping with Canada, up to 40 percent of gastrointestinal occurs after intermittent falls in water pressure.

22 percent of the water pipes in Norway were made between 1941 and 1970, writes Aftenposten.

“Water from the surrounding trench can be sucked in when the pressure falls, increasing the risk of bacteria, says Chief Engineer Wenche Fonahn at the authority.

The past decade has seen several major outbreaks of disease attributed to drinking water, and some residents in Bergen were recently told to boil their drinking water because of drought fears.

Political pressure

Einar Melheim, director of Norwegian Water BA (Norsk Vann) – a national association of water and wastewater works – says between 2003 and 2007, water pipes were renewed at a maximum of 0.85 percent.

“A simple calculation shows it’ll take 200 years to replace the pipe network. What worries us is it’s a mean figure. The rate of replacement in some municipalities is zero,” he says.

He believes this is far too long, but fears politicians won’t prioritise the problem as it’s out of sight and underground.

“We’re worried they don’t realise how appalling things are, or that they’ll drag their feet when it comes to doing something about the water and sewerage charges.”