United Kingdom is at risk of facing a severe water shortage after 25 years. The chief executive of the Environment Agency has said that UK would not be a wet country anymore as it will have water shortages right after 25 years due to climate change and due to the rising population in England.
According to Sir James Bevan, the country is currently facing the ‘jaws of death’. This term is used for an emergency where the demand of water due to rising population surpasses the amount of water present in the country. In his speech, he further said that UK will not have sufficient water for the population unless the water boards cut people’s water supplies by a third.
He further estimated that by the year 2040, UK is going to face hot summers and hot weather conditions. This is going to have 70 to 80% less water in the rivers.
Moreover, the population of United Kingdom is currently 67 million. By the year 2050, the population of United Kingdom is going to rise to 75 million, increasing the demand of water. Right now, 140 liters of water is used by an average person in UK.
After 25 years, he will not have more than 90-100 liters of water because of shortage of water. United Kingdom is also losing water because of leakage. It is estimated that water which could be used by 20 million people is lost through pipe leakages every day. 11 countries in the United Kingdom will probably run out of water after 25 years. For this alarming situation, people like James Bevan are continuously advising people to use water efficiently.
Intrigued? You’ll find more about UK Water Statistics and Facts in this infographic.