This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
Canada: 
Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
According to the Environment Agency, the record wettest April has made the nineteen counties across the U.K. to be no longer in drought.
The drought status has been removed by the Environment Agency in 19 counties in the south west, Midlands and Yorkshire, meaning hosepipe bans are unlikely in those areas this summer. But the groundwater levels are still low across England, and parts of East Anglia and the South East remain in drought with hosepipe bans in place. Groundwater levels across the country remain low, often at levels equal or lower than, the great drought of 1976, even though reservoirs and rivers had been replenished. They are improbable to return to normal levels before the winter arrival.
The Environment Agency has stated it would continuously track down and review the drought status. Almost half the public water supply proportion is provided by groundwater sources within the areas currently experiencing temporary restrictions. Many rivers rely on it to maintain flow in dry periods. The Agency has forecasted that a dry weather reoccurrence could lead to restrictions for farmers and problems for the environment later in the year. Until April’s beginning, England had 18 months of very low rainfall, the driest on record in some areas.
England's biggest water company, Thames Water, has said to rule out applying for a Drought Order allowing it to impose more serious restrictions on water use following the weeks of heavy rain.
Thames Water's sustainability director, Richard Aylard has stated: "It is a great relief for us that we can now rule out seeking a Drought Order this year. No water company wants to impose restrictions on its customers for any longer than absolutely necessary."
The environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, said: "If an area is no longer in drought, the public shouldn't have the possibility of hosepipe bans or other temporary restrictions hanging over their heads, which is why Defra and the Environment Agency have been continuously monitoring and reviewing the drought situation. But we cannot forget that Anglia, London and the south east are still in drought."
The 19 areas that are no longer in drought include south Yorkshire, east Yorkshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, parts of Gloucestershire, parts of Hampshire, most of Wiltshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, West Midlands, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire.
Article viewed on Oye! Times at www.oyetimes.com.
Be the first to comment