Water action needed now – NAO

Action must be taken to prevent severe drought in parts of southern England, according to a National Audit Office (NAO) report.

The stark warning issued by the NAO suggests that the government must take more concerted action now to prevent parts of southern England running out of water within 20 years.

The country’s total water supply is forecast to drop by some seven per cent by 2045 due to climate change and the limits of sustainable abstraction. Almost all of the public water supply is obtained through abstraction from ground and surface water sources, but abstracting too much water can lead to physical changes that reduce biodiversity.

The report warns that even at current levels of average rainfall, a reduction of 480M litres per day of water consumption is needed nationally within 25 years to restore abstraction to sustainable levels. Drier weather is forecast to further reduce water supplies by 600M litres per day.

The NAO report criticises water companies, saying that over the last five years, they have made little or no progress in reducing water consumption and cutting leakage. The report suggest the government need to monitor the situation more closely to exert pressure on the companies to hit these targets.

The report suggest that water companies need to work together across geographical boundaries to improve the resilience of the water supply. The government has taken positive steps to encourage this by publishing a national planning framework which aims to bring together industry, regulators and government to develop regional plans by the end of 2021. But so far there has been only limited collaboration and most companies continue to develop solutions largely within their own geographical area.

The report concludes Defra should promote a more coherent and credible message about water efficiency and develop a plan to evaluate its impact. The government should lead on getting the message across that consumers need to save water.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, commented: “The government has made limited progress on reducing water consumption, tackling leakage and sharing water resources between regions in the last five years, but rapid progress is now vital for the government to deliver its objective of a resilient water supply. Defra needs to provide stronger leadership to water companies, regulators and consumers.”

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