Been in the headlines for weeks British newspapers dominated by images from the country’s parks, which are now in yellow uniforms. Once green grass was “burned” by the sun and heat. This is perhaps one of the hottest and sunniest years in the history of Britain, but it comes at the cost of drought. As a result, water companies have been on a “red alert” due to water shortages throughout the country.

The first step to drastic measures was taken by Southern Water, which serves the south of England, by introducing a complete ban on the use of watering hoses. As of yesterday, 17,000,000,000 residents in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight regions have been prevented from using the hose to, for example, wash cars, yards or even fill swimming pools, and offenders will be fined up to £1,000. According to the company, the level in the rivers is 25% lower than it should be in the month of July, and the rainfall was only 10% of the average for these areas.

Measures are just the beginning

Writing in The Telegraph today, Environment Minister George Justic urged other water companies to adopt similar tactics, saying “we are facing an unprecedented drought.” From next Friday, the ban will be extended to Sussex and Kent in the southeast of England by South East Water, and from 19 August the same will be done by Welsh Water in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, in Wales.

The country as a whole has experienced this lack of rainfall since 1976. July has been the driest month on record since 1935, while parts of southern and southeastern England have been the driest on record. The people of London are not running away either. On Friday, Thames Water customers were sent a warning to use their water wisely, even urging them to sit less in the shower.

Forecasts of changes in the situation are not optimistic. Not only are there no immediate rain forecasts for the south and south east of England, but temperatures will again top 30°C next week, exacerbating the problem. Environmental groups have criticized water companies for being slow, while the environment minister says he “won’t hesitate to take stronger action if water companies fail to do their job.”

Source: DV