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| Where has a drought been declared, and what does it mean? | Where has a drought been declared, and what does it mean? |
| (6 months later) | |
| Millions of people are living in areas hit by drought, following one of the driest summers on record. | Millions of people are living in areas hit by drought, following one of the driest summers on record. |
| Hosepipe bans are in place and households and businesses are being asked to use water wisely. | Hosepipe bans are in place and households and businesses are being asked to use water wisely. |
| Where are the drought areas? | Where are the drought areas? |
| The Environment Agency declared a drought for all of the South West of England. | The Environment Agency declared a drought for all of the South West of England. |
| Along with a large part of South-west Wales, 11 of the 14 Environment Agency areas of England are now in drought: | Along with a large part of South-west Wales, 11 of the 14 Environment Agency areas of England are now in drought: |
| Devon and Cornwall | Devon and Cornwall |
| East Anglia | East Anglia |
| East Midlands | East Midlands |
| Herts and North London | Herts and North London |
| Kent and South London | Kent and South London |
| Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire | Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire |
| Solent and South Downs | Solent and South Downs |
| Thames | Thames |
| Wessex | Wessex |
| West Midlands | West Midlands |
| Yorkshire | Yorkshire |
| Separately, Northern Ireland Water has asked the UK government to put drought order measures in place. | Separately, Northern Ireland Water has asked the UK government to put drought order measures in place. |
| The Scottish Environment Protection Agency temporarily banned farmers in parts of Fife from using water from the River Eden on their fields. | The Scottish Environment Protection Agency temporarily banned farmers in parts of Fife from using water from the River Eden on their fields. |
| Drought declared across large parts of England | Drought declared across large parts of England |
| Scottish agency issues water scarcity warning | Scottish agency issues water scarcity warning |
| What is a drought? | What is a drought? |
| The Environment Agency (EA) decides whether to declare a drought after speaking to water companies, government officials and groups including famers' representatives. | The Environment Agency (EA) decides whether to declare a drought after speaking to water companies, government officials and groups including famers' representatives. |
| It considers rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and the dryness of soils. | It considers rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and the dryness of soils. |
| This year has seen five consecutive months of below average rainfall across all regions in England and above average temperatures. | This year has seen five consecutive months of below average rainfall across all regions in England and above average temperatures. |
| According to the EA, river flows, groundwater levels and reservoir stocks all decreased during July. Some river levels are the lowest ever recorded. | According to the EA, river flows, groundwater levels and reservoir stocks all decreased during July. Some river levels are the lowest ever recorded. |
| What happens when a drought is declared? | What happens when a drought is declared? |
| Declaring a drought in a specific area does not oblige water companies to restrict water use. | Declaring a drought in a specific area does not oblige water companies to restrict water use. |
| However, it means they put into operation pre-arranged drought plans, which may include temporary use bans on things like hosepipes and lawn sprinklers. | However, it means they put into operation pre-arranged drought plans, which may include temporary use bans on things like hosepipes and lawn sprinklers. |
| Hosepipe bans are now in place across much of England and part of Wales. | Hosepipe bans are now in place across much of England and part of Wales. |
| Other possible options include: | Other possible options include: |
| taking more water than usual from rivers | taking more water than usual from rivers |
| using desalination plants, such as the one in London | using desalination plants, such as the one in London |
| cutting non-essential use of water beyond hosepipe bans | cutting non-essential use of water beyond hosepipe bans |
| The Environment Agency is also urging water companies to act to reduce leakage from pipes as quickly as possible. | The Environment Agency is also urging water companies to act to reduce leakage from pipes as quickly as possible. |
| What are water companies doing to tackle leaks? | What are water companies doing to tackle leaks? |
| Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding | Why drought can lead to dangerous flooding |
| Why are there droughts this year? | Why are there droughts this year? |
| In the first three months of the year, England's rainfall was down 26% while in Wales it was down 22%. | In the first three months of the year, England's rainfall was down 26% while in Wales it was down 22%. |
| This meant that even before the summer had started, average river flows were "below normal" or "exceptionally low". | This meant that even before the summer had started, average river flows were "below normal" or "exceptionally low". |
| In July, rainfall was a quarter of the normal level. | In July, rainfall was a quarter of the normal level. |
| Overuse of water has made the situation worse. The government says over a quarter of the UK's underground water sources have too much water taken from them. | Overuse of water has made the situation worse. The government says over a quarter of the UK's underground water sources have too much water taken from them. |
| Driest July in England since 1935 - Met Office | Driest July in England since 1935 - Met Office |
| What problems do droughts cause? | What problems do droughts cause? |
| The effects of drought can include: | The effects of drought can include: |
| water polluted and fish killed | water polluted and fish killed |
| crop failure | crop failure |
| wildfires | wildfires |
| Berry farmers have reported losing some of their crop. | Berry farmers have reported losing some of their crop. |
| Vegetables such as potatoes are at particular risk because of their high-water content. | Vegetables such as potatoes are at particular risk because of their high-water content. |
| Farmers are delay planting crops for next year such as rapeseed because of the dry soil. | Farmers are delay planting crops for next year such as rapeseed because of the dry soil. |
| Sheep and lambs are suffering from undernourishment. | Sheep and lambs are suffering from undernourishment. |
| The price of barley and wheat increased four fold during the 2018 heatwave as crops failed | The price of barley and wheat increased four fold during the 2018 heatwave as crops failed |
| There have been multiple fires, with significant damage to homes and grasslands. | There have been multiple fires, with significant damage to homes and grasslands. |
| London Fire Brigade dealt with 340 grassland fires in the first week of August - eight times as many as they had to deal with in the same week last year. | London Fire Brigade dealt with 340 grassland fires in the first week of August - eight times as many as they had to deal with in the same week last year. |
| Because of the high risk of wildfires, some shops removed disposable barbecues from shelves. | Because of the high risk of wildfires, some shops removed disposable barbecues from shelves. |
| In Surrey and Yorkshire, the Environment Agency has had to move fish from rivers which are drying up to and deeper and cooler waters. | In Surrey and Yorkshire, the Environment Agency has had to move fish from rivers which are drying up to and deeper and cooler waters. |
| What happened in the 1976 and 2018 droughts? | What happened in the 1976 and 2018 droughts? |
| In 1976 and 2018 the UK had severe droughts lasting months, caused by dry springs and very hot summers. | In 1976 and 2018 the UK had severe droughts lasting months, caused by dry springs and very hot summers. |
| The government took emergency powers under the 1976 Drought Act to turn off domestic and industrial water supplies. | The government took emergency powers under the 1976 Drought Act to turn off domestic and industrial water supplies. |
| In 2018, the drought led to crop failures, which raised food prices. Multiple water restrictions were imposed. | In 2018, the drought led to crop failures, which raised food prices. Multiple water restrictions were imposed. |
| Could we see more droughts in the future? | Could we see more droughts in the future? |
| The National Infrastructure Commission - which advises the UK government - says there could be more droughts in future because of population growth and climate change. | The National Infrastructure Commission - which advises the UK government - says there could be more droughts in future because of population growth and climate change. |
| It has called for people to use less water and for water companies to let less of it leak away. | It has called for people to use less water and for water companies to let less of it leak away. |
| It's thought up to three billion litres of water are lost in the UK every day. | It's thought up to three billion litres of water are lost in the UK every day. |
| Related Topics | |
| Drought | |
| Climate change | |
| Environment | |
| Environment Agency |