England faces drought affecting 71.3% of country, impacting 45 million people

England is grappling with severe drought conditions, officially declared across 71.3% of the country following the driest July on record since 1836. The National Drought Group, comprising regulators, government officials, water companies, and agricultural bodies, has identified the East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and Sussex, and Solent and South Downs as the most critically affected regions.

This situation means 45 million people are living in drought-stricken areas, with more than 27 million individuals already subjected to water usage restrictions. The prolonged hot and dry summer has depleted water sources, impacting not only natural ecosystems but also vital economic activities such as river navigation, agriculture, and industrial operations. Concerns are also mounting over water availability for cooling critical electrical facilities.

Tony Grayling, chairman of the National Drought Group, stated that the situation will not improve without sustained and significant rainfall. The Met Office forecasts temperatures potentially reaching 36°C in eastern and southeastern England in the coming days, prompting a heat health alert for much of the country. The UK Health Security Agency has issued level orange heat alerts for all of England, except the northeast, effective from Tuesday.

In response, the government is exploring measures to assist farmers, including facilitating the construction of more on-farm irrigation reservoirs. However, only 14% of England's rivers are at normal levels, with 22% exceptionally low, including the River Avon and the River Ely Ouse. The dry conditions also heighten the risk of wildfires, with firefighters currently battling a blaze in New Forest estimated to cover an area equivalent to 140 football fields.

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this will not change until sustained and significant rainfall appears.