Infrastructure consultants have told the government that mandatory water monitoring, along with a national ban on garden hoses, should be implemented as a national priority by the end of the decade. The National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) first warned the government four years ago that significant new investment would be needed in the country’s water supply equipment by 2030. Despite some limited improvements that have been made, nearly 3 billion liters of water are still lost every day.
Mark Lloyd of the Rivers Trust said preventive measures should be taken much earlier than the end of the decade.
He said: “There should be a nationally coordinated publicity campaign to reduce water use and universal water measurements.
“Low currents in rivers are disastrous for wildlife and ultimately we need to take much more care of this incredibly precious resource.”
Mark Owen of the Angling Trust called for the ban on garden hoses to be extended across the country after Southern Water became the first water company to introduce a ban.
He told the Guardian: “We need to see these bans proactively implemented in many more places.”
Southern Water introduced restrictions on the Isle of Wight and Hampshire.
Mr Owen also criticized the government’s approach, describing it as a “nodding” response.
He said: “There is no strategic, coherent, joint approach.
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It follows months of substandard rainfall for much of the country, and unprecedented temperatures in July – which rose above 40°C on Tuesday – are putting increased pressure on the water supply.
Maps from The Environment Agency (EA) show that river levels in the UK are below normal, noticeably low or exceptionally low across the country, with only two locations rated as “normal”.
Most of England has been moved to “extended dry weather” status, meaning EA is now taking precautions to mitigate the impact.
Martin Baxter of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment said of the current dry weather: “What we are seeing now is that the climate impacts in terms of more extreme weather events are occurring more frequently and to a greater extent than expected.
“We really need to become more resilient to what we know is coming.”