London possesses one of the oldest underground train networks in the world, celebrating its 150th birthday last year, yet a new network of mega-tunnels is being built under the urban metropolis.
Officially called the Thames Tideway Tunnel but branded as London’s “super sewer”, the multi-billion pound project has been designed to stop the 55 million tonnes of raw sewage being washed into the tidal Thames per year.
A 25 kilometre interception, storage and transfer tunnel running up to 65 metres below the river is being constructed. When complete, it will be 7.2 metres in diameter and have a capacity of 1.6 million cubic metres of wastewater.
Proving controversial to environmentalists and some local residents, the £4.2 billion project will add £60 per year by utility Thames Water onto household bills in the region.
Professor Carolyn Roberts, senior scientist, Knowledge Transfer Network & professor of environment, Gresham College London, said: “There's quite a lot of evidence that there are plenty of sites around that would be able to accommodate small decentralized treatment systems."
A video produced by Associated Press below shows the sheer scale of the project and what it entails.
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