- What is the reason for the repeated drought in UK 2022?
- What measures has the UK government taken to prevent drought?
- What is the per capita water consumption for each person in British?
Following the extreme heat, the UK has faced the worst drought since 1976. In the UK, fires in fields and houses, fire officials warn that cities in this country should be prepared to fight fires. Due to the lack of rainfall, it is expected that water hoses, such as watering flowers or washing cars, will be prohibited. The drought in UK 2022 is becoming a crisis.
A repeat of the drought in UK 2022
Forecasts indicate a drought in UK 2022 in the coming months. Due to the continued heat in Europe, climate experts in the UK say that this country should be ready for new heat waves and a repeat of drought. Before this, the governments of Italy, Spain and Portugal faced problems caused by the heat of the air and lack of water. The Guardian newspaper wrote that the UK might declare a drought next month.
Prohibition of irrigation of fields
A lack of rainfall causes drought in UK 2022. In recent months, there has been little rainfall in the UK and the heat wave has added to the worries. The temperature in the UK reached more than 40 degrees Celsius last week, which was unprecedented in the history of meteorological statistics in this country. Meteorological experts say there will probably be little rain in the UK in the next month, August, and lack of water will cause problems in grain production. If the water shortage continues in August, the UK government may not allow farmers to irrigate their fields in August and September. This restriction is especially harmful to crops such as potatoes that have underground tubers.
Destruction of crops in the UK
Drought in UK 2022 has led to this country’s destruction of plant crops. Experts have warned about the possibility of the destruction of agricultural products due to the noticeable dryness of the air and unprecedented heat. If the government decides to implement a drought program, farmers will be prohibited from irrigating their crops; because the demand for access to clean water in the UK by the 2050s will be between 1.1 and 3.1 billion litres per day. Most of this increase in demand is due to global warming, which makes people thirsty and hot. They need water more than today. At the same time, if the current conditions continue, the supply of clean water in the UK will decrease by 7% in 2045 compared to today due to the drier air and drought due to global warming. The decrease in rainfall will also aggravate these problems.
Queuing in the streets to get bottled water
Experts have warned that the drought in UK 2022 could have dire consequences. As the UK braces for drought, infrastructure advisers have advised the government that hosepipes should be banned and water meters made mandatory across the country by the end of the decade. These advisors warned that if the government does not act seriously today, in the future, people may line up in the street to receive water bottles.
Daily waste of 3 billion litres of water
Four years ago, the National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) warned the government that the 2030s should make significant new investments in the country’s water supply facilities. Although water companies have made improvements, nearly 3 billion litres of water are wasted in this country daily. John Armitt, the committee chair, said that dealing with this waste of water requires an investment of 20 billion pounds. He added that if investments are not made now, it will cost more than twice as much to deliver bottled water to UK homes by a lorry when droughts hit the country more frequently.
A fine of £2,000 is pending for the misuse of water.
Experts emphasized that installing water meters is the best tool to reduce water consumption. In contrast, only about half of homes in England and Wales have installed water meters, which consume about 33 litres less than the national average. The average daily water consumption of each household in the UK is estimated at 141 litres. As the UK faces a drought in August, people are urged to use water wisely. According to the new instructions of Southern Water, consumers will be fined up to £2,000 if they use a hose to irrigate gardens or wash a car or wash the yard and street with a hose.
Due to global warming, the UK will not be spared from drought, and water service companies in the UK must seek to find ways to deal with this problem, and it may be necessary to spend large sums of money to overcome this challenge. According to experts’ predictions, considering that the mentioned problem will occur earlier in parts of the UK, UK Government should plan to create water transmission lines from parts with more water to these areas. The per capita reduction of water consumption in the UK should also be considered.