|| Drought officials declared 71.3% of England to be in drought after the driest July since records began, with 45 million people living in affected areas and more than 27 million facing water-use restrictions.
More Than Two-Thirds of England Now in Drought
The East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and Sussex, and Solent and the South Downs moved into drought status, joining much of southern and central England and all of Wales. Yorkshire and north-east England are at the preceding “prolonged dry weather” stage; nowhere in England remains at normal status.
The National Drought Group said the situation is a “flash drought”, developing quickly through the combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures. The dry conditions are affecting farms, rivers, reservoirs and ecosystems. The NFU reported very poor wheat and oat yields, while livestock farmers have had to use winter feed early. Only 14% of England’s rivers were considered to be at normal levels and warmer water was putting fish under severe stress.
Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, said the UK is “not prepared at all” for the prolonged dry weather, warning that infrastructure, agriculture and the wider economy are not ready for the climate expected through to 2050.
Why it matters: This is more than a short-term water shortage. Climate change raises the likelihood of extreme heat and increases evaporation and soil drying when rainfall fails. The engineering response needs to combine demand reduction, leakage control, sustainable abstraction, storage, water reuse, catchment restoration, flood-drought planning and resilient infrastructure—not rely only on building reservoirs. The crisis also highlights the need for accountable adaptation planning and protection for vulnerable households.
260814 Drought Declared Across Half of England and Wales
Source: BBC News — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70gk2dl5jyo Related sources:
- Climate Change Committee, Progress in adapting to climate change: 2025 report to Parliament — https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-adapting-to-climate-change-2025/
- UK Government Office for Science, Economic Opportunities of Climate Adaptation for the UK — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-opportunities-of-climate-adaptation-for-the-uk/economic-opportunities-of-climate-adaptation-for-the-uk
same news provided yesterday