The country will face “together [water] in bottles or large containers from emergency supplies” with no crackdown on use and leaks now, Sir John Armitt, chairman of the government’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) advisory group, told Sky News. Speaking as much of England prepares for an expected drought in August, Sir John said we should “keep the water flowing” in extreme conditions, prioritizing hospitals and parts of industry and agriculture. For individuals this “may mean that the water supply will have to be reduced or cut off extremely, and therefore we will have to take emergency supplies,” he said in an interview on Sunday. To prevent this, water companies need to tackle the 20% of water currently lost through leakage, around three billion liters a day, the government needs to set new resilience standards and consumers need to reduce their use from around 125 to 110 liters a day, Sir John said. Doing so would reduce the “potential emergency measures that might be required” otherwise, such as “hoses in the street, millions of plastic water bottles being shared, people facing tire bans – all these things that are usually required in extreme situations.” and they are extremely expensive, he said. The Consumer Council for Water has called for a social tariff for the one in 10 households who already say their water bill is unaffordable. England has just experienced its driest eight-month spell since 1976, remembered for heatwave and water restrictions. Max Utilities and Southern Water have already announced pipeline bans for the Isle of Man and Hampshire respectively. Thames Water has warned it may have to follow suit. In 2018, the NIC called for an investment of £21bn by 2050, around £650m a year, to pay for water safety measures, including increasing reservoir capacity, stemming leakage and building a network to channel water between different areas. Image: Sir John Armitt. Photo: National Infrastructure Commission Bill increases are “almost inevitable to ensure we have that water security” in the future, Sir John said. He suggested that water companies could also consider accepting lower returns on their investments. The UK is getting warmer as human activity changes the climate. While drought is not expected to become more frequent or severe in the coming decades, climate models predict that it will become more severe, intense, and frequent in the second half of this century. Read more: ‘Very likely’ drought for southern England and Wales after driest eight-month spell since 1976 Parched England could see drought in August if hot, dry weather persists What uses the most water in homes us, where does our water come from and what happens during a drought? Demand for water often increases during dry periods as customers water gardens and fill swimming pools, further depleting water supplies. We need to “reduce the likelihood of an extreme situation, recognize that we could have these longer periods of severe drought and be prepared for them,” Sir John added. While the industry is dealing with the amount wasted through leaks, it still loses an average of 20% – about three billion liters a day. In the meantime, consumers should install water meters, replace showers with baths and run water-using appliances sparingly, he said. On Tuesday, the Environment Agency convened a meeting of the National Drought Task Force of water companies, farmers and land users to prepare for an impending drought. A spokesman for the environment department said water companies had a “duty” to secure supplies. “That’s why we continue to challenge those with poor leakage records and work to ensure they bring in new infrastructure such as reservoirs and water transfers,” they said. The government is also developing new water supplies such as reservoirs, water reuse systems and desalination plants. Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday and The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. All on Sky News, the Sky News website and app, YouTube and Twitter. The show explores how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.
