LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Thursday it would step up efforts to protect its water resources ahead of the summer, after the driest and warmest spring in England in over 130 years.
The Environment Agency (EA) said reservoirs across England were only 77% full, compared with the average 93% for this time of year, although it noted that recent rain at the start of June was having a positive effect.
Some canals were facing navigation issues, while the quality of spring crops was concerning due to dry soil and poor grass growth for feed, the National Drought Group heard on Thursday, in the first of a series of monthly meetings to assess the situation.
“It’s been the driest spring since 1893, and we need to be prepared for more summer droughts as our climate changes,” the group’s chair and the EA’s director of water, Helen Wakeham, said.
“We must ensure we have enough water to last the entire summer,” she added, urging the public to be mindful about their daily use.
Wakeham also said recent rainfall was helping but that it hadn’t been enough to prevent a drought being declared in the northwest of England.
Northeast England, Yorkshire, East and West Midlands were also experiencing prolonged dry weather, the EA said.
The agency is now carrying out more compliance checks on water-intensive businesses, increasing monitoring of river and groundwater levels and helping farmers plan their water needs.
Scientists say climate change is making droughts and drier summers more frequent.
The drought group meeting saw water companies present their drought plans, which include fixing any leaks more quickly and communicating more frequently with customers.
Some companies may need to go further to conserve water supplies in the absence of further substantial rain, the EA said.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony;Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)
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