Droughts
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment has been made of the additional water storage capacity required to maintain resilient supplies during prolonged periods of below-average rainfall.
Answered by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Government is working closely with the National Drought Group on drought preparations and management to monitor the situation and ensure coordinated action. Water companies have consulted on revised statutory drought plans, which shows how they will continue to secure essential water supplies in a drought, aligning with their long-term investment for water resilience set out in their Water Resources Management Plans. These plans set out how each company will manage water supply and demand including leaks, sustainably for at least the next 25 years. Within their plans, water companies must consider all options, including demand management and new water resources infrastructure, including reservoirs and transfers.
Government is working with water companies to reduce supply pipe leakage, with water companies committing to delivering a 50% reduction in leakage from 2017-2018 levels by 2050. In addition to their own sector targets, the Environment Act 2021 includes an interim target of a 30% reduction in leakage by 2032. Water companies are also aiming to deliver approximately 10.4 million smart meters over 2025-30, which will be the biggest rollout to date. This will improve leakage detection.
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