Drought declared across parts of Wales after record dry weather and heatwaves
The first region of the UK has officially declared drought due to record drought conditions, intense heatwaves, wildfires and dwindling rivers.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said a drought had been declared in North Wales and the Upper Severn.
The Welsh Government’s environment agency NRW said the decision to trigger the drought situation followed continued hot and dry weather in recent weeks.
July is on track to be the driest July on record in Wales for almost 190 years, with no significant rainfall next week.
Much of the UK is experiencing prolonged periods of dry weather, with only 3 per cent of the average July rainfall falling.
This has led to tornado bans affecting 23 million customers, with warnings that restrictions could continue throughout the summer.
Bushfires have also broken out in England, Scotland is battling a massive blaze in the Cairngorms, and the Republic of Ireland has imposed a nationwide ban on tornadoes.
These severe conditions follow last year’s drought summer and underline the UK’s increasing susceptibility to extreme weather.
Experts attribute this trend to human-caused climate change, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
Which areas are affected?
Exceptionally dry conditions in Wales have led to river beds drying out, increased farmers’ concerns about grazing and water availability, and significantly increased the risk of wildfire; There have been a number of major fires in recent weeks, particularly in North Wales.
Areas affected by the drought declaration include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee (Wales), Clwyd and the Upper Severn.
North Wales and the Upper Severn have received less than 2% of the expected rainfall for the month so far; River flows in large parts of the region are extremely low, with some places recording record lows or approaching record levels.
NRW said many parts of North Wales had not experienced significant rainfall since July 6.
The agency’s observations also show that groundwater levels continue to fall and river temperatures remain high.
All remaining catchments in south-west Wales have also moved from ‘normal’ to ‘extended dry weather’ following last week’s change of situation in south-east Wales.
As a result, the whole of Wales is now in either drought or prolonged dry weather.
North Rhine-Westphalia said it declared a drought after a number of indicators showed a significant shortfall in rainfall and water availability, affecting rivers, groundwater, agriculture, natural systems and land management.
While water companies report that reservoir levels remain generally healthy, NRW is urging people to use water wisely.
Rhian Thomas, Sustainable Water and Nature Manager for North Rhine-Westphalia, said: “The long periods of hot and dry weather we have experienced this summer are now having serious impacts on the environment in some parts of Wales.
“We have seen rivers fall to extremely low levels, groundwater continues to decline, and reports of environmental impacts affecting wildlife, fisheries, farming and sensitive habitats increase.
“The recent bushfires in North Wales and South East Wales are one of the clearest and most visible signs of how dry our landscapes have become.
“Our teams continue to work closely with fire and rescue services, local partners and land managers to respond to these incidents and reduce risks as much as possible.”
He said: “While drought conditions do not automatically mean water shortages for customers, they do reflect increasing pressure on our environment.
“We ask everyone to play their part by using water wisely and helping to protect Wales’ natural resources during this exceptionally dry period.”
Yellow health warning announced
As the hot weather continues, yellow temperature health alerts – warning of minor impacts on health and social care services – have been issued in England from 9am on Friday until 9am on Sunday for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England and London.
The Met Office said temperatures would be in the low to mid 20Cs, close to average for this time of year, but could be warmer on Tuesday next week.
While the south is expected to remain dry, there is some rain in the forecast and parts of northern Scotland could see 10-15mm (0.4-0.6in) of rain in a few hours on Saturday, while parts of western Scotland could see up to 30mm (1.2in) of rain.
But just 3-4mm (0.1in) is expected further south on Saturday and Sunday, and Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon warned: “While some areas will receive more rainfall than they have seen for some time, this is not the heavy rain that some areas may be after in terms of replenishing their water supplies.”
