North Wales and the Upper Severn have become the first part of the UK to declare drought status this year, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said, following record-breaking dry conditions, heatwaves, wildfires and dried-up rivers.
Other parts of England remain in prolonged dry weather status, the stage before drought, with hosepipe bans affecting about 23 million people. A nationwide hosepipe ban is in place in the Republic of Ireland due to the dry conditions.
Impact of dry weather
Due to ongoing hot and dry conditions, wildfires have been raging in several locations, including areas around Greater Manchester and a major wildfire in the Cairngorms. In Wales, exceptionally dry conditions have led to drying riverbeds, mounting concern from farmers about grazing and water availability, and a significantly increased risk of wildfires, with North Wales experiencing a number of major blazes in recent weeks.
The areas affected by drought status include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee (Wales), Clwyd, and Upper Severn. NRW said the decision follows continued hot, dry weather over recent weeks, with July on course to become the driest on record for Wales in almost 190 years without significant rainfall in the next week.
Rainfall and water levels
North Wales and the Upper Severn have received less than 2% of expected rainfall for the month so far, with river flows exceptionally low across large parts of the region, and some locations recording or approaching record lows. In many areas of North Wales, there has been no significant rainfall since July 6, NRW said. Monitoring also shows groundwater levels continuing to fall and river temperatures remaining high.
All remaining catchments across south-west Wales have moved from “normal” to “prolonged dry weather” status, following the same change last week for south-east Wales. As a result, all of Wales is now either in drought or prolonged dry weather status.
Water usage urged wisely
NRW said it declares drought when a combination of indicators shows a significant shortage of rainfall and water availability, affecting rivers, groundwater, agriculture, natural systems and land management. While water companies report that reservoir levels remain healthy, NRW is urging people to use water wisely.
Rhian Thomas, sustainable water and nature manager at NRW, said: “The prolonged period of hot, dry weather we have experienced this summer is now having serious impacts on the environment across parts of Wales.” She added: “While drought status does not automatically mean water shortages for customers, it does reflect the growing pressure being placed on our environment. We are asking everyone to play their part by using water wisely and helping to protect Wales’ natural resources during this exceptionally dry period.”
Health warning
A yellow 'risk to life' alert is set to come into force across parts of the UK at 9am on Friday, July 24, and will remain in place until 9am on Sunday, July 26. The UKHSA warning signifies minor impacts expected across health and social care services, including increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people, greater risk to life of vulnerable people, increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm, and that water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning. The yellow health warning is in place across East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, London; with North East, North West and Yorkshire left with no alerts.
