Severn Trent is one of the founder members and leading corporate supporters of WaterAid. This
non-governmental organisation (NGO) was set up by the water industry 25 years ago in the belief that everyone
should have access to clean water and effective sanitation.
Water Technologies and Services (WTS) in the US and its employees also support Water for People (WFP), an international non-profit organisation committed to bringing safe drinking water and improved sanitation to impoverished people in developing countries.
The Common Ground collective is a neighbourhood volunteer relief organisation started in the days after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It has helped people move back into their homes by gutting and cleaning their homes, providing medical and legal assistance, and tending distribution centres, all offered at no cost.
The group relied on donations to take potable drinking water into these areas, and it approached Water Technologies and Services for help. Would the company be able to donate a UV unit capable of purifying 500 to 1,000 gallons of unsafe tap water a day? Water Technologies and Services was quick to respond, donating six Aquaward tablet feeders and six 45-pound pails of Aquaward chlorine tablets. Each tablet feeder is capable of treating up to 10,000 gallons of water per day.
In the summer of 2006, an earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Java. More than 500,000 people were left homeless, and more than 5,700 were killed. One of the places worst affected was the city of Yogyakarta, located about 20 miles from the earthquake's epicentre, with a population of some 3 million. The earthquake devastated the city's key infrastructure systems, including its water system.
The city's municipal water authority, the World Health Organisation and other international relief groups called upon the worldwide water treatment industry to help. Water Technologies and Services responded promptly and donated [ten] five Capital Controls Advance Series 200 gas feeders, which can be used to disinfect potable water and wastewater.
Severn Trent is a corporate supporter of WaterAid, which works to provide some of the poorest people in the developing world with access to safe, clean drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene education. The Group has a dedicated volunteer WaterAid Committee and it supports the charity in a variety of ways: for example, through annual corporate donations, Severn Trent Water employee volunteering, gifts in kind, and fundraising events. A popular employee payroll lottery raises over £86,000 annually and, as regular giving, is vital for allowing WaterAid to plan projects in the medium term.
In 2006/07 over £312,000 was raised by Severn Trent employees with over £100,000 raised through a single event: our annual WaterAid charity ball for staff, suppliers and contractors in late 2006.
WaterAid is one of Severn Trent Water's partner charities. Severn Trent Water staff organise and take part in annual fundraising events such as the annual Severn Trent Mountain and Cycle Challenge, a 21 or 29 mile hike or 32 or 64 mile cycle in the Peak District. The 2006 event raised around £30,000 for WaterAid.
A network of employee volunteers raises awareness of WaterAid's work by giving presentations to local community groups and schools. We also raise awareness of WaterAid's activities among suppliers, contractors and advisers.
