Drought is here to stay. It’s time for the Government to act
4 min read
Fifty years after the drought of 1976, the images of the 2026 drought will also last long in the memory.
Parched brown lawns and fields, failing crops and sustained high temperatures have become a familiar sight, along with queues for water as taps run dry in some parts of the country.
The difference between now and 1976 is that drought in the UK is becoming a regular occurrence rather than a once-in-a-generation event.
In May of this year, the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, which I chair, published our report Surviving drought: reclaim the rain. It warns that England’s water supply is under growing strain due to a combination of climate change, population growth, public water supply leakage and water-intensive industries. Without considered Government action to reduce demand and increase supply, as well as working with our natural catchment areas, the risk of drought in England threatens the very systems on which people and nature depend.
Despite commonly held assumptions, water in England is a precious resource. Ever drier summers and wetter winters, coupled with new housing developments, data centres and energy infrastructure, are projected to lead to a shortfall of 5 billion litres per day by 2055. It is under growing strain, particularly from new housing developments, data centres and energy infrastructure.
Given the weather events of 2026, with a potentially drier 2027 as the “super El-Nino” gathers force, it is disappointing that the much-touted cultural and behavioural change campaign has been a damp squib. There has been no high volume campaign targeting how businesses and households use water. For example do we really need to use clean drinking water to flush our toilets, water our gardens and cool industrial plants?
During our inquiry, the Committee heard of serious gaps in the way industrial and commercial water use is planned and managed. Developments relying on major water usage are too often proposed in places that are already under water stress, without a clear assessment of whether there is sufficient local supply or how a projected shortfall might be met.
The Government disappointingly rejected our recommendation that water companies should be statutory consultees on all major planning applications. It is simply not sensible to approve large, water-intensive developments before the people responsible for supplying water have had a formal opportunity to assess the consequences.
The Government is backing itself into a corner by not setting out clear guidance on how water companies should prioritise the supply of water.
Calls in our report for the Government to urgently publish a prioritisation plan for an emergency drought has been echoed in the media by the water trade body Water UK and environmental charity Global Action Plan.
There will soon come a time when it will need to decide and communicate whether water supply to hospitals, households and schools should be prioritised ahead of data centres and other heavily water-reliant industries. The sooner the Government lays out and communicates their plans for such scenarios, the sooner services, organisations and businesses can plan for future droughts.
Businesses also need clearer incentives to use water efficiently. Where water is treated as a cheap and effectively unlimited input, there is little reason for a large commercial user to invest in water recycling, rainwater harvesting, closed-loop systems or less water-intensive technology.
Households are rightly encouraged to save water and to repair leaking taps and toilets. Industry should face an equally clear expectation to reduce waste and make better use of water. We need a system that rewards efficiency rather than excessive consumption.
Climate change is gathering pace and droughts have become a regular fixture in the UK. The Government must act now to ensure we are prepared as a nation to adapt to the impacts of this reality.
Baroness Sheehan is Chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee
