With river levels at record lows, it may have surprised many that recent rainfall resulted in flood alerts.
As climate change accelerates, so does the problem of dry land being unable to absorb water.
Rain running off the hard earth can quickly overwhelm sewers and waterways, creating a combination of drought and flash flooding.
Over the weekend as surface flood warnings were issued for some parts of the country, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology reported that river flows between March and June had hit the lowest levels on record for those months.
Worryingly, scientists have warned that such extreme weather phenomena — from exceptionally dry to very wet conditions — are becoming the norm in the UK due to climate change.
Drought was recently announced across Yorkshire, alongside several other regions, with some farmers and weather analysts declaring conditions worse than the infamous dry spell of 1976.
The county has experienced its driest and warmest spring in 132 years, with just 15cm of rainfall across the region. Reservoir levels have fallen to just 55.8 per cent – 26pc lower than the normal level for this time of year.
Coming on top of heavy January rains, the dry spell is endangering river wildlife as well as severely affecting crops.
For example, hundreds of fish were last week rescued from a stream in East Yorkshire and moved elsewhere as low water levels left them struggling to survive. Water voles are also struggling in many areas.
Mark Lloyd, chief executive of conservation organisation The Rivers Trust, said:
“Prolonged hot and dry weather like we are experiencing this year puts extra stress on river wildlife that is already facing a variety of pressures.”
He said the low water levels were resulting in “very concerning levels of pollution”.
Not a single river in England and Northern Ireland is currently classed as “good overall” and there has been an 83 per cent decline in freshwater species globally since 1970.
To help alleviate the problem, The Rivers Trust has planted hundreds of thousands of trees, addressed thousands of water quality issues, created and restored wetlands habitats and worked with farmers and landowners to maximise the soil’s ability to sequester carbon.
The trust says the UK can no longer rely on the assumption that it is a consistently wet country and advises that our cities and countryside need to be redesigned to absorb and retain water through nature-based solutions such as wetlands, healthy soils and rewiggled rivers. Incredibly, 97 per cent of the UK’s rivers have been modified in some way, leaving only three per cent classified as free flowing.
The flow of water across the landscape must also be slowed down to reduce the risks of drought and flooding.
Individually, we can help by turning off taps, having showers instead of baths, fixing leaks, only using dishwashers when full, catching rain in water butts and watering in the morning or evening to reduce evaporation.
