Britain’s running out of water – so why aren’t we collecting rain, like Germany?
Britain’s running out of water – so why aren’t we collecting rain, like Germany?
by theipaper
Britain’s running out of water – so why aren’t we collecting rain, like Germany?
Britain’s running out of water – so why aren’t we collecting rain, like Germany?
by theipaper
4 comments
“Save water – bath with a friend”: this has to be the most risqué public information advice ever broadcast by the government, but it certainly caught the mood at the height of the 1976 [drought](https://inews.co.uk/topic/drought?srsltid=AfmBOorFqHiZAbKpL7tWgEFn82sMD4RfR45NmYG-nPsA25hAa-WzyA7X&ico=in-line_link). Within days it was on badges and plastered across T-shirts. It might even have saved some water.
As [drought conditions intensify across the UK](https://inews.co.uk/news/fears-hosepipe-ban-last-throughout-autumn-dry-weather-continues-3876858?ico=in-line_link), following the[ hottest spring on record](https://inews.co.uk/news/hottest-spring-record-driest-met-office-3726513?srsltid=AfmBOopmhbZHZezrL7riDCzl2dYtrTglP9eULi2pI5Craw_y_JUS7Dpg&ico=in-line_link), and with much of England under a [hosepipe ban](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/how-drought-proof-garden-and-why-avoid-sprinklers-3774661?ico=in-line_link) which is set to continue into autumn, it is time to think again about how we might save water.
It might seem strange that, on an island renowned for its drizzle, we should find ourselves hit once again by[ water shortages](https://inews.co.uk/topic/water-shortage?srsltid=AfmBOopvaXLh3NtyHCw3tn_J2X-eqe6yEDKzL430QloI-b4u7qFR7uHH&ico=in-line_link), but this should not really come as a surprise on a planet where [global heating](https://inews.co.uk/topic/global-warming?ico=in-line_link) is running amok. Six of the hottest years on record in the UK have occurred in the last 10, while three of the [hottest summers](https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/regret-loft-extension-bedroom-hot-3854836?ico=in-line_link) happened in the last five years. Greater heat drives increased evaporation, and a hotter atmosphere can hold more water vapour, and suck up surface water more rapidly. This can result in so-called flash droughts that can build in a matter of weeks.
Looking ahead, the picture looks pretty grim. Already the South East is designated as suffering from “severe water stress”, and another seven regions could follow [as soon as 2030](https://www.kingfisher.com/media/news/2023/seven-regions-in-england-will-face-severe-water-stress-by-2030-a). By mid-century, the prospect of severe drought conditions resulting in water supply to households being cut-off for an extended period is a real one.
Plans for nine [new reservoirs ](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/areas-new-reservoirs-built-confirmed-3719139?srsltid=AfmBOopHhRTSZt8RrDmI8x9r6fJ169b-SK2VLDtyAQZMv9K8kzVOJe9O&ico=in-line_link)– [the first for more than 30 years](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-steps-in-to-build-first-major-reservoirs-in-30-years) – were recently announced by the Government, but is this really the answer? After decades of gross underinvestment, the privatised water industry is rubbing its hands with glee, because reservoirs appear as assets on their books, and therefore increase the value of the companies. Whether these reservoirs end up being built or not, continuing to ensure that everyone has enough water is going to be a huge challenge in the decades ahead as the heat continues to build. We need to look at other ways of tackling the problem.
Water consumption per head in the UK is amongst the highest in Europe, while at the same time the equivalent of more than 1,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools of water is lost through leaks every day. Clearly, there is a huge amount of slack to be taken up before spending billions on new reservoirs. There is also plenty we can do ourselves, both to cut usage, and to provide us with some peace of mind if and when the supply is cut off.
I am from Germany and everyone i know with a garden is storing rain water
Water companies should provide water butts for every household that can use one. This should be funded from their own profits. We paid our money and they stole it.
Currently I have 3 x 200 litre butts but this year that has been nowhere near enough to keep everything watered. Generally most water that I cannot store is diverted either into an ornamental pond or along pipes and distributed onto the garden.
US, and I capture rainwater. Use it to water our garden and to drink. Our water source is a well, so I already have to pay for filters for the well pump, so filtering rainwater for drinking just seemed the sensible thing to do.
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