Drought Has Been Declared In Parts Of The UK – Here's How It May Impact You

Drought conditions have now https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c98v389pgmjo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">been officially declared in parts of the UK following a barrage of heatwaves and a dearth of wet weather. 

The announcement comes weeks after https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-drought-group-meets-after-dry-spring-and-recent-heatwave" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">England’s National Drought Group gathered to discuss water availability, with summer projections ranging from “moderate to poor in parts of the country”.

The first official drought conditions, however, have been announced in another part of the UK.

Here’s where has been affected, why, and how it might actually affect you:

Where has drought been declared in the UK? 

As of the time of writing (Friday 24 July), https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/wildfires-and-record-dry-conditions-trigger-drought-declaration-for-north-wales-and-upper-severn/?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drought has been declared in parts of Wales, including: 

• north Wales,
• the Upper Severn. 

These areas https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/wildfires-and-record-dry-conditions-trigger-drought-declaration-for-north-wales-and-upper-severn/?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">have received less than 2% of expected rainfall so far this month.

In fact, https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/wildfires-and-record-dry-conditions-trigger-drought-declaration-for-north-wales-and-upper-severn/?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Natural Resources Wales (NRW) says, parts of North Wales have gone without significant rain since 6 July.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/c75gze7427vo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Many parts of England and Wales are in the “prolonged dry weather” category – one level below drought.

Why was drought declared? 

There are https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/articles/cjwx0xv571eo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">no official drought criteria in the UK.

But Rhian Thomas, a sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: “The prolonged period of hot, dry weather we have experienced this summer is now having serious impacts on the environment across parts of Wales.

“We have seen rivers fall to exceptionally low levels, groundwater continuing to decline, and increasing reports of environmental impacts affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming and sensitive habitats.” 

Thomas https://naturalresources.wales/about-us/news-and-blogs/news/wildfires-and-record-dry-conditions-trigger-drought-declaration-for-north-wales-and-upper-severn/?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">also mentioned the recent wildfires that have taken place across North Wales and South East Wales, saying they prove how dry the areas have become.

“While drought status does not automatically mean water shortages for customers, it does reflect the growing pressure being placed on our environment.

We are asking everyone to play their part by using water wisely and helping to protect Wales’ natural resources during this exceptionally dry period.” 

How can droughts affect us?

Drought https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drought-management-for-england/drought-how-it-is-managed-in-england#drought-impacts-and-mitigations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">may lead to: 

• crop failure, and possibly higher food prices as a result (heatwaves have https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8020dpvgmgo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">already affected UK potato yields), 
• a higher fire risk, 
• road and rail issues, as hot, dry weather can warp both,
• issues with tourist and recreation businesses that rely on water, i.e. boating and swimming, 
• a higher risk of boats grounding, potentially affecting businesses, 
• worse water quality “as pollutants and nutrients become more concentrated in low water levels”, 
• problems with fish migration (https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/marine-heatwave-explained-uk_uk_6a4dffb8e4b094d71e711960">a marine heatwave also places fish at risk), 
• temporary and permanent species loss, 
• “reduced incomes and job security from affected businesses”, 

according to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drought-management-for-england/drought-how-it-is-managed-in-england#drought-impacts-and-mitigations" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Government.

Temporary usage bans (TUBs), more commonly known as hosepipe bans, are usually announced in anticipation of drought conditions or low water availability too.

These https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/hosepipe-ban-thames-water-details_uk_6a5f66d4e4b03e4448786724">have already affected millions across the UK.

Additionally, the Government said, drought might even lead to “anxiety or depression caused by loss of income and or loss of recreational activities”. 

We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about “heatwave anxiety”.

Environmentalist Dr Ruth Valerio https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/heatwave-anxiety-explained_uk_6a4f6855e4b04b52a93e70e5">told us, “Gone are the days when a heatwave was seen as something positive to be enjoyed: now it is a worrying feature of our warming world that we are having to learn to cope with, both physically and psychologically.”