A man walks in Greenwich Park, London, on August 14, 2022. On August 17, Thames Water said a Temporary Use Ban covering London and the Thames Valley will begin next week. .
Dominic Lipinski | PA images | beautiful pictures
LONDON – Britain’s Thames on Wednesday said a Temporary No-Use order covering London and the Thames Valley will begin next week, citing “unprecedented weather conditions.”
The ban goes into effect August 24. “Domestic customers should not use hoses to clean cars, water gardens or distribute, refill splash pools and swimming pools, and clean windows,” convenient. this utility said.
Explaining its decision, the company – one of several in England and Wales to have announced limits on water use in recent weeks – said extreme temperatures and this summer’s heatwave had leading to the highest water demand in more than 25 years.
“The driest July since 1885, the hottest temperatures on record and the Thames reaching its lowest level since 2005 has led to a drop in reservoir water levels in the Thames Valley and London.”
The TUB does not apply to businesses, although Thames Water said it is asking people in its area to “be mindful of the drought and use water wisely.”
This could have to do with companies turning off water features in their facilities and not washing their cars, it suggested.
Sarah Bentley, Thames Water CEO, said: “Implementing a temporary Use Ban on our customers was a very difficult decision to make and one that we did not take lightly.
“After months of below-average rainfall and recent extreme temperatures in July and August, water resources in our region are running out,” Bentley added.
The announcement of the ban comes at a time when many water utilities are facing criticism regarding leaks from their pipes. For its part, Thames Water says it already has teams focused on locating and fixing more than 1,100 leaks per week.
When it comes to enforcing the ban, the company said it hopes and expects customers to continue to use water wisely.
“If we find customers flouting the restrictions, we will contact them to make sure they know the rules and how to use water responsibly and wisely,” it added.
“There are criminal offenses against those who repeatedly ignore requests to comply with the ban.”
Hot and dry sun
Last month saw temperatures in the UK are rising, with the highest temperature above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded for the first time.
On 12 August, the UK’s Environment Agency announced that parts of England has turned into a drought.
“In drought-affected areas, the public and businesses should pay close attention to the pressures on water resources and use water wisely,” the authorities said.
They added that the government expects water companies “to act to reduce leaks and repair leaky pipes as quickly as possible and to take more widespread action in line with government policy.”
The UK is not alone when it comes to drought-related problems. On July 18, the European Commission’s Joint Research Center published a report on the state of drought in Europe.
“Severe droughts affecting some parts of Europe since the beginning of this year continue to expand and get worse,” it said.
“Dry conditions are associated with widespread and persistent lack of rainfall combined with early heat waves in May and June.”
In an interview with CNBC earlier this week, Bill Hare, CEO and senior scientist at the nonprofit Climate Analytics research organization, explained how current conditions are having an impact on the planet. how wide.
“In terms of water supplies, it is clear that in the UK and other parts of Europe we are seeing very severe water stress that is starting to affect… urban dwellers,” he said. ordinary market, not just farmers”.
“We are seeing a lack of willingness to provide cooling water for thermal, nuclear or coal power plants, which is causing power to be cut off,” said Hare, who is speaking to CNBC’s Joumanna Bercetche. reduce”.
“This is a problem that we are seeing all over the world,” he added. “We are also seeing problems, for example in Germany, now in the Danube region, with low water flow, which means you can’t transport goods anymore.”
This, in turn, “has major implications not only for the transportation of energy but also for agriculture, all kinds of industrial goods, etc.”
