Climate change combined with a rise in population show alarming numbers. Within 25 years the United Kingdom will not have enough water to meet demand, the environment agency warns.
Water shortages are an existential threat to modern life. With potentially drastic consequences, the water in England could run out in 20 to 25 years, warns Chief of the Environmental Agency. The country faces an "existential threat," Bevan outlines in his speech titled Escaping the jaws of death: ensuring enough water in 2050. "We all have to use less water,” he says.
Every Brit consumes 140 litres on average during the day. Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not included in these calculations because environmental issues are regional responsibilities. In recent decades, the population has changed their attitude to smoking and seat belts fundamentally. Now the water is off. Individual consumption should be reduced to 100 litres to ensure coverage.
With their consumption, Britons are about 15 percent above the Germans and French who use 123 litres a day. The largest part of this is attributable to the bathroom. Shorter showering times, as well as more economical toilet rinses, are regularly among the most important tips for reducing private water consumption. “Humans need at least 50 liters of clean water, according to calculations by the World Health Organization WHO for a healthy minimum supply. And only at around 100 litres is there virtually no health risk due to the use of water.
The UKs population is expected to grow from currently 67 million to 75 million in the next 30 years. Michaela James, Planning Manager at South East Water
says, “The increase in people means an increase in infrastructure, energy and food supply as well as houses and workplaces. All things that use more water.”
At the same time rising temperatures cause draughts. By 2050 the environment agency expects heatwaves to become a common condition. Jennifer Sibley, environment strategy manager at Borough of Sutton says, “By 2040, the summers, traditionally characterised by moderate temperatures and regular rainfall in the UK, will become significantly hotter. 50 to 80 percent less water in the rivers is a real possibility.” Devastating for a country that relies so heavily on its rivers.
Especially large cities are increasingly struggling with water scarcity worldwide. A quarter of the 500 largest cities in the world are threatened with serious water shortages, according to a study by the United Nations from 2018. Only a year ago, the South African metropolis Cape Town was threatened to run out of drinking water. A strict rationing and good winter rainfalls helped the city to get over it.
London is one of the major cities that are particularly threatened. Despite the image of constant rain showers, the British capital recorded only 600 millimetres of rainfall per year.
