Though research has not yet been conducted to determine whether this year’s drought was caused by climate breakdown, the dry conditions and extreme heat in 2018 were found by the Met Office to have been made 30 times more likely by climate change. The last time a drought was announced was in 2018. But a continuation of below average rainfall into a second winter would likely result in serious hydrological and environmental drought, with further intensification of the water supply restrictions and fish rescues that we are starting to see in the south-east.” “Where river flows are supported by groundwater that recharges during the winter months, the impact of dry weather is reduced. The government was keen to stress that essential water supplies for households are not at risk.Ĭatherine Sefton, a hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said: “In the south-east of England, the continued dry weather means that many river flows remain notably or exceptionally low, and hydrological forecasts suggest this situation will persist over the next few months. Milk production is also down nationally due to a lack of food for cows, and wildfires are putting large areas of farmland at risk.įarmers are deciding whether to drill crops for next year, and there are concerns that many will decide not to, with dire consequences for the 2023 harvest. The group was told “irrigation options are diminishing with reservoirs being emptied fast”, and losses of between 10% and 50% are expected for crops including carrots, onions, sugar beet, apples and hops.
Half of the potato crop is expected to fail as it cannot be irrigated, and even crops that are usually drought tolerant such as maize have been failing. Those in the meeting were shown harrowing statistics about England’s food security. Thames Water has also said it is “ready to go” with a hosepipe ban. Welsh Water will implement a ban from 19 August, and Yorkshire Water from 26 August. So far this year hosepipe bans have been implemented by Southern Water and South East Water. More severe measures can also be put in place at this stage, including banning the use of sprinklers the cleaning of buildings, vehicles and windows. This means water rationing may take place across the country, with fewer barriers for water companies who wish to ban customers from using hosepipes and washing the car with tap water. Now, the country has been tipped into that second stage. The group met earlier this summer to discuss the lack of rainfall and decided to put the country in “prolonged dry weather status”, the first of four emergency dry weather stages, and one step before drought.
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