Residents of England face the worst drought in decades next year. Water companies and the government are developing emergency action plans, UNN reports, citing The Guardian.
Details
Executives of one of the largest water companies said in an interview that they are very concerned about the prospect of a winter with below-average rainfall. According to the UK Met Office, this is quite likely.
They noted that in such a case, water scarcity would mean radical measures to restrict water consumption, "going beyond hosepipe bans."
In addition, groundwater takes much longer to replenish than reservoirs, and the situation in England remains precarious despite recent rainfall, The Guardian reports.
If a drought occurs early next year, and spring and summer have below-average rainfall, England risks running out of water, the publication states.
Recall
Earlier, UNN reported that due to the dry summer and low harvest in Europe and Ukraine, sunflower oil prices have risen. Experts predict that oil production in 2025–2026 will be below the average for the last five years.