rural drought

According to this article 18 months of cripplingly low rainfall have left some groundwater and river levels lower already than they were during the drought of 1976. According to Defra, since June 2011 drought has affected Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, and west Norfolk. In February 2012 following a dry winter, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Surrey, London, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and the east of Gloucestershire are now in drought. The Environment Agency’s ‘drought prospects for winter and spring 2011/12’  depicts the current water resources situation and runs models to predict the future resources situation (do see the maps and tables on pages 2 and 3). Helen Vale, National Drought Co-ordinator at the Environment Agency said: “Water levels in rivers, lakes and underground water sources are dependent on the amount of rainfall received. Northamptonshire has seen the driest 16 months since records began (ending January 2012). Pressure on water resources looks set to increase over the next few months, so it is more important than ever that consumers, businesses and water abstractors use water wisely.” Defra is working with the Environment Agency and the water companies to ensure that the public water supply is maintained and that the environment does not suffer unduly. This week the Environment Secretary, Caroline Spelman, hosted a summit bringing together key players in the water industry to discuss what is already being done to tackle drought and to decide upon actions that need to be taken to mitigate against its impact in the future. After the summit Spelman called on the public to save water and help limit the impact of drought. You can keep up-to-date on the current water situation for England and Wales here and on Defra’s response here