UK Vulnerable To ‘All Or Nothing’ Rain Pattern; Possibly Facing Summer Water Shortage

(Photo : Getty Images/ NHAC NGUYEN)

Experts have warned that if the summer continues to be hot and dry, the United Kingdom may face water shortages and hosepipe bans, despite the fact that the country has had the wettest 18 months on record.

All Or Nothing Rain Pattern

Leading experts have stated that because the UK is not effectively storing its water, the country is prone to "all or nothing" rain patterns that are becoming more common as a result of climate breakdown.

The Environment Agency produced research this week that projects an increasing water shortage in the future, with a daily deficit of about 5 billion liters by 2050. This amounts to more than a third of the 14 billion liters of water currently used in the public water supply.

Government plans suggest that if no action is taken, the public water supply will fall short by more than 4,800 million liters per day by 2050, up from 4,000 million liters per day in the 2021 draft, due to updated demand forecasts and further reductions in water extraction for environmental reasons.

"It was an extremely wet winter, with England seeing the wettest October to February on record (since 1890). Rainfall was at least twice the February average across central and southern England," said Jamie Hannaford, a hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

She added that if below-average rainfall persists in the coming months, especially if temperatures rise (leading to high evaporation rates and water demand), it may put a strain on water supplies in areas with limited groundwater storage and that rely on rivers and reservoirs for water supply.

Reservoir supplies and river flows in these locations, particularly in the in the highland northern and western parts, can be depleted quickly during warm, dry spells in spring, even after rainy winters, as happened in the 2010 drought that followed a wet winter and flooding in north-west England.

Water Reservoir And Conservation In UK

In the last three decades, no new big reservoirs have been created, rivers have been engineered to flow water swiftly, generating floods, and many wetlands have been drained, cultivated, or built over.

This means that the water that pelts the UK in winter is not effectively stored, resulting in floods followed by water shortages in the summer.

Some argue that there is little motivation to invest in infrastructure such as reservoirs when a private corporation is attempting to distribute as much money to shareholders as possible. England is one of the few countries where private firms fully own all of the water.

Water corporations point to a Kafkaesque planning system and MPs who fiercely oppose any planned infrastructure in their constituencies. Reservoir plans have been delayed or abandoned due to the political problems associated with infrastructure development in this country.

According to the Environment Agency's plans, the corporations will build seven big reservoirs between now and 2050, but many people believe this is inadequate.

While it is critical that the government and water firms address the aforementioned issues to ensure long-term water supply, the public also has a role to play.

The average person in the UK consumes 150 liters each day. This is higher than the norm for many European countries, including France (128), Spain (130), and Germany (122).

Using water butts and toilet systems that do not require fresh tap water are two ways that homeowners can use water more responsibly. Water UK, the agency that represents the water industry, claims that most British people shower for seven or eight minutes every day and has called on people to decrease their showers by a few minutes.