After a very wet September for
some parts of the country, drought may be the last thing on your
mind. However, dry weather can come unexpectedly – as we saw in
the summer of 2022. Our changing climate means we could see more
frequent and severe weather events, including droughts, in the
coming years, and we ought to think of floods and drought as two
sides of the same coin. We cannot control when the next drought
will be, or how severe it will be, but we can work together now
to improve our preparation and resilience to dry weather and
drought.
The Environment Agency has launched a public consultation on
‘Drought: how it is managed in England', the updated version of
the ‘National Drought Response
Framework' released in 2017. The document describes how
drought affects England and how the Environment Agency works with
government, water companies and others to manage the effects of
drought on people, business and the
environment.
Drought in England
Droughts are characterised by periods of low rainfall creating a
shortage of water. This can also coincide with periods of high
temperatures when demand for water also substantially increases.
Each drought is different and varies in nature, timing and
impacts. There is therefore not a single definition of drought,
but we do classify them in three broad categories: environmental,
agricultural or water supply droughts.
Working with others to improve drought
resilience
The National Drought Group –
which includes senior decision-makers from the Environment
Agency, government, regulators, water companies, farmers,
conservation experts and the Met Office – meets twice a year
during normal conditions, and much more frequently during dry
weather and drought events. The group enables cross-sector
collaboration, to improve drought planning, preparation and
response, and to integrate lessons from past droughts.
Security of water supply is vital to building our drought
resilience, and the challenge to meet our growing water needs is
significant. By 2050, without action, we expect a shortfall in
England of nearly 5 billion litres of water a day between the
sustainable water supplies available and the expected demand. The
Environment Agency, and other regulators review water companies Water
Resource Management Plans to ensure the actions they plan to
take will deliver the resilient and sustainable water supplies we
all need up to 2050. The Environment Agency and Ofwat also review water company performance
annually.
Water companies also produce drought plans setting out the
actions they will take to manage these events. The Environment
Agency is updating its guideline for water company
drought plans, which will be open for public consultation in
the coming weeks.
What is the consultation about?
‘Drought: how it is managed in England' explains drought
management and the actions the Environment Agency and others take
to plan for and respond to drought.
Each of the Environment Agency's 14 operational areas produce
their own area drought plans, which serve as operational
guidelines for their response to drought. ‘Drought: how we manage
it in England' supports our area drought plans by providing a
strategic overview.
In this consultation, we would like to hear:
- Your feedback and suggestions on the ‘Drought: how it is
managed in England' document
- Your views and comments on any local drought-related issues
and how the Environment Agency and others respond to drought at a
local level
Your comments will help us to refine the document and will also
help us draw out any local drought-related issues and concerns
that should be considered by our operational areas as they update
their area drought plans in the coming months.
Get involved
The 9-week consultation opens on 8 November
2024, will close on 10 January 2025,
and is available for input on Citizen Space, the Environment
Agency's consultation hub.
Consultation on
‘Drought: how it is managed in
England'.
