With portions of the United Kingdom suffering the driest circumstances since 1976, experts have warned that the source of the River Thames has, for the first time on record, dried up.
According to The Rivers Trust, the river’s origin was once located just outside of Cirencester.
However, after an extended stretch of dry weather, the river is now more than five miles downstream, close to Somerford Keynes.
The Met Office has issued an ominous forecast of “very little meaningful rain” shortly, and conditions are now so severe that a hosepipe restriction impacting one million people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will go into effect at 5 p.m. today.
Dr. Rob Collins, head of policy and science at The Rivers Trust, told, “Due to the extended dry weather, the source of the Thames in Gloucestershire has dried up, with a weak flow now hardly perceptible more than five miles downstream” (at Somerford Keynes).
Under a climate that is changing, we may assume that the frequency and severity of drought and water scarcity will increase, along with competition for a diminishing resource and disastrous effects on aquatic life.
As temperatures are expected to reach the 30s in England next week, the Met Office has warned that “very little substantial rain” is on the horizon for arid regions.
While it is possible that there could be another heatwave – three or more days of above-average temperatures – it is expected that conditions will be much below the 40C (104F) recorded in several locations last month.
Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington stated, “Parts of the United Kingdom might experience heatwave conditions if above-average temperatures persist for at least three days.”
‘Many regions of the United Kingdom, particularly the south, may have temperatures several degrees above average, but these values are likely to be considerably lower than the record-breaking temperatures we experienced in mid-July.
“As the high pressure builds, there is very little substantial rain in the forecast, particularly for those regions of the south of England that saw extremely dry conditions last month.
Elsewhere in the United Kingdom, such as northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, rain-bearing weather fronts will make modest progress against the high pressure, bringing some rain.
At 5 pm today, a hosepipe ban impacting one million residents in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight goes into effect.
Today, Southern Water begins its “temporary consumption ban” – one week before South East Water’s restrictions for Kent and Sussex, which affect 2.2 million people, go into effect. Since last Friday, the 85,000 residents of the Isle of Man have been subject to a prohibition.
Now, Welsh Water has imposed limitations for 200,000 customers in Pembrokeshire and a small portion of Carmarthenshire beginning on August 19, citing the driest circumstances since 1976.
Thames Water and South West Water have both warned that they may soon be forced to implement further restrictions, which would affect an additional 17 million people in other regions of England. This would include 15 million customers in London and the Thames Valley and approximately two million in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, and Somerset.
This would mean that a total of 20,500,000 people in England might be affected by water use limits. As of today, 1.1 million individuals will be subject to a ban, which will increase to 3.3 million by next Friday.
The temporary prohibition announced by Welsh Water yesterday prohibits customers in impacted regions from using a hose to water their plants, wash their cars, or clean their windows. Rule violators could be fined up to £1,000.
According to the Met Office, it is too early to tell how long the heat wave will endure.
However, there are hints of a return to more unstable conditions around the middle of August, the report says.
