Does Britain Have The Wrong Type Of Rain?

The water crisis is indeed a global one and it is an issue that will affect us here in Britain, even with the vast swathes of rainfall that we see each and every year. Despite all the wet weather, it seems that we perhaps have the wrong kind of rain – which means that we’re more than likely to see severe water shortages around the country in the future.

As National Geographic explains, we see too much rain too quickly over the winter months and too little falling over the summer. And climate change is now pushing the seasonal differences to greater and more dangerous extremes, which means devastating droughts in summer and overwhelming floods in winter.

This is all down to the climate crisis, with higher temperatures increasing evaporation and drying out the land. And because the atmosphere is warmer, it holds more moisture, which in turn increases the volume of rainfall – resulting in both floods and droughts.

In 2018, the country saw a typically wet spring, but just a few short months after that, temperatures reached near-record breaking highs, resulting in drought conditions. The period between May and July was one of the driest ever – and the second driest on record for East Anglia.

The UK only saw around half its expected rainfall during the summer, with water resources dwindling rapidly. Major rivers hit record lows and reservoir levels fell significantly, all of which put serious pressure on domestic water supplies during the drought… the UK’s longest in over 40 years.

This was then followed up by atypical flooding in February 2020, just 18 months later. Storms during the month resulted in double the average monthly rainfall and it was the UK’s wettest February on record, as well as the fourth wettest month in over 100 years. Events such as these are predicted to become more common as time goes on.

To help protect supplies, government policy aims to reduce the amount used so that less is taken from waterways and aquifers. And water authorities are prioritising reducing water leakage, while manufacturers are devising more water-efficient processes and products.

But businesses have their part to play in safeguarding water resources for future generations. One of the best ways to reduce your water footprint is to compare business water suppliers and see if there’s one with more expertise and knowledge of your particular industry or niche.

Switching involves a water audit, which can help reveal weak or vulnerable areas across your site, allowing you to introduce the appropriate water-saving solutions as and when required.

There are other benefits associated with switching, as well, such as the potential to reduce your bills quite substantially, better customer service, better tariffs with another supplier and bill consolidation. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with SwitchWaterSupplier.com today.