Drought
The impact of global warming means the likelihood of London experiencing a drought has increased. This section highlights how a drought affects the capital, what is being done to protect water supplies and what you can do to help.
Click on the links below to get some answers to key questions about droughts in London:
- What is a drought?
- How do droughts impact London?
- What’s being done to prepare for droughts?
- What can I do to help?
- Useful resources
- Related links
What is a drought?
A drought is an extended period of dry weather. This puts a strain on water supplies and means that the government and individuals need to be aware of saving water.
How do droughts impact London?
A drought can have serious consequences for people living in the affected area. For London, with its population density and geography, a drought has the following effects:
- London generates its own microclimate, known as the Urban Heath Island (UHI), which can lead to the centre of London being up to 9 degrees warmer than nearby rural areas. So, any hot weather will be more extreme in the capital.
- Summer heatwaves may make public transport uncomfortable, and can have an affect on our health, particularly for vulnerable groups, such as elderly people.
- The 2003 summer heatwave resulted in about 600 excess deaths.
- Hot temperatures in 2003 resulted in extremely high demands on London’s power supply network and subsequent ‘brown outs’, due to the high cooling demand. Future increases in demand for cooling could affect London's sustainability.
- By the 2080s, London’s summer extreme temperatures could be comparable with those of present-day New York. This will dramatically increase the amount of electricity needed in summer as we try to keep cool.
- London is one of the driest capital cities in the world, with available water resources per head of population similar to that of Israel. Climate change could reduce the amount of water available and increased demand in summer will lead to an added risk of drought.
What’s being done to prevent/prepare for droughts?
The Government have published Future Water - The Government’s water strategy for England PDF, which outlines how they plan to cope with droughts. Some of the key strategies to keep London liquid are below:
- Thames Water aim to add over 150 litres per day through desalination of the Thames Gateway.
- The current leakage programme aims to reduce leakage by 685 million litres per day and replace around 12 per cent of London’s water mains by 2010.
- Thames Water aims to have half of London household using water metres by 2015.
Droughts are more likely now due to climate change, so strategies for preventing them are linked with plans for preventing global warming, so take a look at London Climate Change website for more information.
What can I do to help in a drought?
By thinking carefully about your water use in the home and changing some water-wasting habits, it is easy to save water.
- Vegetables and fruit should be washed in a bowl rather than under a running tap and the leftover water can be used for watering house plants.
- Use the minimum amount of water required when you boil water in saucepans and kettles; that way, you'll save energy as well as water.
- Try keeping a bottle or jug of water in the fridge instead of running taps until the water runs cold.
- Half-load programmes on dishwashers and washing machines use more than half the water and energy of a full load. Wait until you have a full load before switching the machine on.
- Try not to leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, shave or wash your hands, as this can waste up to 5 litres of water per minute.
- A 5-minute shower uses about a third of the water of a bath. But remember that power showers can use more water than a bath in less than 5 minutes.
- Old toilet cisterns can use as much as 9 litres of clean water every flush. Reduce this by placing a 'save-a-flush' or 'hippo' in the cistern.
- Cotton wool and tissues should be put in a waste bin rather than flushed down the toilet.
- Dripping taps can waste up to 4 litres of water a day. Replace worn tap washers for a quick and cheap way of saving water.