Parts of England officially fall into drought after months of scant rainfall

The Environment Agency announced that England’s south, southwest and southeast are in drought, along with central and eastern regions, after convening the National Drought Group, made up of water companies, ministers and other water authorities. Parts of the capital, London, are also affected.The UK has had five consecutive months of below-average rainfall and back-to-back heat waves, with temperatures expected to peak on Saturday as high as 37 Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts. Only two months since the start of 2021 have seen at least average rainfall. Southern England received just 17% of its average rainfall in July, according to the UK Met office.”We are currently experiencing a second heatwave after what was the driest July on record for parts of the country. Action is already being taken by the Government and other partners including the Environment Agency to manage the impacts,” the country’s Water Minister Steve Double said in a statement. “All water companies have reassured us that essential supplies are still safe, and we have made it clear it is their duty to maintain those supplies.”While the lack of rain and heat are driving this drought, around 3.1 billion liters of water are lost every day in England and Wales through leaks in the nations’ aging infrastructure. Consumer groups and experts have called on water companies to do more to plug leaks.The Environment Agency said in its statement that the government expected water companies “to reduce leakage and fix leaking pipes as quickly as possible and take wider action alongside government policy.” Several rivers across England have been drying up in parts, including the Thames, which runs through London. Officials have been Around 63% of the land across the European Union and UK is under drought warnings or alerts issued by the European Drought Monitor, meaning there is inadequate moisture in the soil. That’s an area almost the size of India, or the three biggest US states — Alaska, Texas and California — combined. On 17% of land, drought conditions are more severe, meaning vegetation is stressed.Experts are warning that drought could continue into the autumn, or even winter, which is when the nation typically gets most of its rain to store for drier parts of the year. Another dry winter would put even more stress on food security.”It’s going to continue into the autumn and then really, we don’t know beyond that. It depends on whether we see any significant rainfall — good steady rainfall that replenishes water levels,” Bentley said. “What we don’t want at the moment are heavy, thundery downpours, because the ground is so dry that water just runs off. It doesn’t soak into the ground.”