Amid heatwave, UK declares drought across eight areas of England

Parts of England are not receiving significant rainfall all summer and amid a period of prolonged hot and dry weather, authorities on Friday (August 12) officially declared a drought for the affected regions.

After a formal meeting of the National Drought Group, Water Minister Steve Double said, "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."

Double added, "We are better prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation, including impacts on farmers and the environment, and take further action as needed."

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The Environment Agency said in a statement that parts of southern, central and eastern England are now in drought status.

The agency has moved into drought in eight of its 14 regions, which are Kent and south London, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Herts and north London, East Anglia, Thames, and the east Midlands.

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The announcement means, that the water companies now will step up efforts to manage the impact of dry weather on farmers and also the environment.

The Environment Agency also mentioned that the water companies will also focus on their published drought plans, which might include hosepipe bans.

The UK has been reeling due to extreme heat in the past weeks with July being quite a challenge for the entire country. As per a report, July was the driest July for England since 1935 as the temperatures rose above 40C for the first time.

The weather department of the country also said that the period from January to June this year saw the least rainfall in England and Wales since 1976.

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Harvey Bradshaw, who is the National Drought Group chair, was quoted as saying, "We urge everyone to manage the amount of water they are using in this exceptionally dry period."

Authorities announced measures such as hosepipe bans to take the situation amid reports that England and Wales are severely impacted.

As per the Met Office, the UK overall had 56 per cent of its average rainfall for July. The weather department also mentioned that every month except February has been drier than average this year.

The source of the River Thames has dried up. It supplies 15 million people around London.

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