Divine intervention: yes, water companies using dowsing really is that bad

It turns out that water companies have been using dowsing to find damaged pipes, and this is an extremely common practice. But is it a big deal? Yes, it is.

OK, so most UK water companies have people who use divining rods to find leaks and burst pipes, although many have since back-pedalled on these admissions since the story broke, thanks to the sterling work of science writer Sally Le Page, who deserves all credit for it. Understandable perhaps; if you were a major utility provider earning millions by providing an essential resource to large populations, you'd probably be a bit embarrassed if people found out your highly-trained and expensive technicians were essentially using witchcraft to fix problems.

But, the expense and professionalism aspects aside, is it really that bad? Aren't people overreacting a bit? It's not like they're claiming they can cure cancer or speak to the dead or anything like that, effectively taking money from the grieving and desperate. So some technicians wander around a field waving twigs about in an effort to find a leak? Bit weird, but where's the harm? There must be something to it, surely? So what's the harm?