Drought declared in parts of a hot, dry Britain
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Low water levels are pictured at Bough Beech Reservoir near Sevenoaks in Kent, southeast of London, on Aug 12, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
LONDON (NYTIMES) - The British government declared a drought for parts of southern, eastern and central England on Friday (Aug 12) as the country, unaccustomed to such extreme heat, endured another day of scorching conditions.
The declaration came after a group of officials and experts, including the National Drought Group, met to discuss the government's response to "the driest summer in 50 years", the Environment Agency said in a statement.
Extreme-heat warnings have also been issued for parts of southern England and Wales, just weeks after Britain withered under some of its highest temperatures on record.
"We are currently experiencing a second heatwave after what was the driest July on record for parts of the country," Britain's Water Minister Steve Double said in a statement released after the drought group's meeting.
Eight parts of England are officially experiencing a drought, according to the agency, which makes the designation for each region rather than the entire country.
The declaration, signalling the first official drought in the country since 2018, will allow water companies to impose stricter conservation measures.
Several water companies have temporarily banned the use of hoses to water yards and gardens and to wash vehicles. Additional steps may include diverting more water than usual from rivers and using desalination plants in cities like London to produce more drinking water.
"We have had significant droughts in the past, but this summer has been exceptionally dry," said Dr Gemma Coxon, a hydrology expert at the University of Bristol.
"The main driver has been climate change," she said, adding that the increasingly dry summer months, coupled with record rainfall in winters, could heighten the risk of major flooding.
The Met Office, Britain's national weather service, issued an extreme-heat warning through Sunday (Aug 14) for much of the southern half of England and for parts of Wales, underscoring that the soaring temperatures could not only disrupt travel but also raise the risk of heat-related illnesses for certain groups.
Wiggonholt, in southern England, recorded the country's highest temperature Thursday, at 34.2 deg C.
By midday Friday, temperatures in southern England had already reached 34 deg C, with the expectation that they could climb even higher over the weekend, according to meteorologists.
