The National Drought Group (NDG) has agreed on further action to manage the current drought and work to reduce the risk of drought next year.
The group, which is made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency (EA), government, water companies and key representatives, held a meeting yesterday (Tuesday, March 23).
At the meeting, it was agreed that sufficient rainfall over the autumn and winter will replenish rivers, lakes, groundwaters and reservoirs to normal levels by spring; there is no threat to essential water supplies.
However, it agreed that there is a need to continue to manage water resources carefully over the coming weeks and months to ensure that the needs of the public, farmers and industry, and nature and wildlife are met.
The group also recognised that planning how best to manage any water shortfalls that might arise in 2023 should begin now.
It was agreed that the NDG’s Water Supply Sub-Group will meet next month to take this forward and report to the NDG in October on progress. The EA will lead an NDG exercise in December to test plans.
The National Framework for Water Resources’ Strategic Steering Group will also meet in September to identify ways to accelerate the progress of the National Framework for Water Resources (NFWR).
The NFWR was launched in 2020 by the EA and has an aim of meeting certain goals by 2050, including: Enhancing the national resilience to drought; developing new supplies, though the construction of reservoirs, water cycling and more; cutting leakage rates by 50%.
The NDG will meet again on September 19, to review the latest situation and agree any further necessary measures.
Drought
This year has been the driest summer in the UK for 50 years and the driest ever recorded for southern England. Large parts of the country are in the ‘drought status‘: Devon and Cornwall/Isles of Scilly; Solent and South Downs; Thames; Hertfordshire and North London; Kent and South London; East Anglia; Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire; East Midlands; Yorkshire; and the West Midlands.
Note: The EA uses four stages to describe and manage drought conditions: Prolonged dry weather, drought, severe drought and recovering drought.
“This summer should be a wake-up call for how the nation prepares for weather extremes and how we make the very best use of our water resources,” said EA chief executive and chair of the NDG, Sir James Bevan.
“Both for the coming year and, with the impact of climate change, for the coming decade, a complete gear change is needed for how water companies and all water users, from farmers to households, think about how they use water and understand its fundamental value.”
