Southern Water Seeks 2 Drought Orders as 75% of England and All Wales Enter Drought
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 11
Southern Water Seeks 2 Drought Orders as 75% of England and All Wales Enter Drought
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 11
Summary
Southern Water has applied for two drought orders to keep taking normal volumes from the River Test during low flows and to impose a non-essential use ban.
The move comes as nearly three-quarters of England and all of Wales are officially in drought after England got just 7% of its long-term average rainfall in July, the driest July in almost 200 years.
About 40% of England’s population is already under hosepipe bans, and emergency drought plans can escalate to pressure reductions or rota cuts; breaching a temporary use ban can bring fines of up to £1,000.
The shortage reflects hotter, drier summers, rising demand and weak infrastructure: England could face a 5 billion-litre-a-day public water supply gap by 2055, while leaks already waste 2.87 billion litres a day in England and Wales.
With no new UK reservoir built since 1992 and three droughts in five years, officials and MPs warn that without faster investment and lower consumption, some areas could face supply losses reminiscent of 1976.