Bewl Water in Kent is southern Britain's largest reservoir but on Wednesday afternoon it was 36 percent full and had shrunk to just over half the size it should be at this time of year.
Its water level was 7.6m down on normal, its saucer sides were deeply cracked, and stumps of old oaks last seen in the great drought of 1976 poked through the dry mud.
Tony Lloyd, head ranger of Southern Water, admitted he was worried.
"This is the worst dry spell in over 100 years," he said.
"We desperately need rain. The land is like a sponge that has been squeezed dry. It is as bad or worse than 1976," Lloyd said.
"I do not know what happens if this drought goes on. We already have hosepipe bans, but if it is a dry summer then it could mean standpipes, drought orders, bans on non-essential use of water, restrictions on things like car washes," Lloyd added.
Britain, and the south-east especially, is desperate for water. Rainfall has been above average in only one of the past 14 months, and London and surrounding areas have barely seen any rain since November 2004.
Last year Tonbridge, a town to the south-east of London, got just 406mm -- less than Jerusalem and parts of Namibia and Somalia, two African nations known for their aridity.
If it does not rain well above the average over the next two months, says the UK Environment Agency, then millions of people, particularly in southern Britain, can expect serious water restrictions in the summer.
"A drought like this is not unheard of, but is very rare," said Professor Alan Jenkins, a director at the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
"This has built up over two years. We had a very dry winter last year, and it's been a desert [this winter]," he said.
"We needed an above-average winter rain to pull us through and it hasn't happened. We've not had two very dry winters in a row since 1933-34, since when there are many more people who use much more water.," Jenkins said.
"There's a 10 percent possibility that we'll get enough rain to avert problems. But there is a 20-25 per cent chance of a very serious drought developing, particularly in the south-east," he added.
The next two months are critical, say water companies, because from April through to October almost all rainfall in Britain is taken up by trees and plants or is evaporated, preventing the recharge of underground aquifers on which most companies increasingly depend.
Nearly 75 percent of the drinking water for south-east England comes from wells and boreholes.
"It is highly likely we will have a full hosepipe ban soon. Some of our boreholes are at record lows," said a spokesman for Sutton and East Surrey Water company which supplies water for 650,000 people in an area south of London.
"In fact, we are drier than Saudi Arabia in terms of what water we have available per person," he added.
River flows which should be at their highest point between January and March are now nearing historic lows, says the Centre for Hydrology and Ecology.
The River Thames is flowing at just over half its normal level and if the drought continues, scientists expect that trees will quickly become stressed, streams will dry up, and rivers will shrink. Fish and birdlife will also be seriously affected.
There is the additional possibility that empty aquifers will start to fill with sea water, rendering them unusable.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS