Murky Water

Challenging an Unsustainable System

Luca Calafati, Julie Froud, Colin Haslam , Sukhdev Johal

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English

Manchester University Press
21 January 2026

Economics & Business; Public ownership & nationalisation; Water supply & treatment

Series: Manchester Capitalism

Essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of our most vital resource.

Our water system is a mess. Rising bills and rivers full of sewage grab the headlines, but the greater threat is climate crisis, bringing increased drought and flooding.

This book exposes the many problems with our unsustainable water system. Unfair charges limit spending on infrastructure, while financial extraction has turned the water companies into debt-burdened zombies in an increasingly fragmented system.

Reforming regulation and tinkering with tariffs will not be enough, and public ownership is just the first step. Murky water shows that the system can only be made sustainable through a radical overhaul of how it is owned, managed, funded and planned.

We need a new kind of water management, with national and catchment planning and coordinated action by landowners, local authorities and water companies.

Westminster and Whitehall currently stand in the way. To overcome their resistance and secure a sustainable future, we must ignite a social movement capable of challenging power.

By: Luca Calafati, Julie Froud, Colin Haslam, Sukhdev Johal, Karel Williams
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781526188700
ISBN 10: 1526188708
Series: Manchester Capitalism
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 21 January 2026
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction: Murky water? 1 Water as infrastructure 2 The failure of the privatised companies 3 Investing for the long term 4 Regressive charging and progressive alternatives 5 The failure of regulation and political control 6 What to do Index -- .

Luca Calafati is an independent researcher and social entrepreneur Julie Froud is Professor of Financial Innovation at Alliance Manchester Business School Colin Haslam is Emeritus Professor of Accounting and Finance at Queen Mary, University of London Sukhdev Johal is Chair in Accounting and Strategy at Queen Mary, University of London Karel Williams is Director of Foundational Alliance Wales