Scots urged to be 'efficient' with water during dry spell
Scottish Water has urged customers to use supplies sparingly after the driest start to the year since 1964. People should take shorter showers and avoid using hoses, according to the company's new guidance.The firm said it has been using around an extra 150 million litres of water a day since the middle of April, due to the amount of extra water being used by the public. Earlier this week the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said 23 areas surrounding major bodies of water - including the Clyde, Dee, Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay - were now experiencing some level of water scarcity.
A number of areas, including Potterton near Aberdeen, Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Balfron in west Stirlingshire are having normal water supplies supplemented by tankers. In Moray, borehole supplies from the River Spey are being boosted by pumping water directly from the river to maintain normal levels.Forecasters do not expect rainfall in Scotland for another week, until at least 22 May.
No hosepipe ban
Advice offered by Scottish Water includes using a watering can instead of a garden hose, avoiding using sprinklers, taking shorter showers and turning the tap off when brushing teeth.It also recommends using washing machines and dishwashers only when fully loaded and using a bucket and sponge rather than a hose to wash cars.However, it stopped short of of announcing a full hosepipe ban, which was last needed in 1995.Alex Plant, Scottish Water's Chief Executive, said: "We're working hard to maintain normal supplies for all customers and would ask that they use water efficiently to protect this precious resource."We believe that a large part of the additional water use at the moment is in gardens so we would ask that customers are mindful of how much water they use there."Mr Plant added "simple steps" would help maintain normal supplies, saying Scotland's climate as a whole is changing.From January to April the country had only 59% of its long-term average rainfall, with May's figures on track to be even lower.On Tuesday temperatures in parts of Scotland rose above 25C, making it the hottest day of the year so far.The UK as a whole is currently experiencing its driest spring conditions for 130 years.
It's incredibly early in the year to start talking about restricting our water use but with the dry weather having been with us now for about a month, it's no surprise.And we're not expecting any significant quantities of rain to fall for another week at least.But talk of a hosepipe ban may be premature; it needs to be approved by a minister and that hasn't ever happened since devolution. Scotland's last hosepipe ban was in 1995.Generally speaking, water is in much greater abundance in Scotland compared with the south-east of England, where hosepipe bans are used fairly frequently, the last coming in 2023.But because there's water, water everywhere, we are more free and easy with it. The average Scot is using 178 litres a day compared with 137 litres in England and Wales.The advice? Slow down. And treat water much more like a precious resource by limiting our hosepipe use and not letting it drain down the plug hole unnecessarily.
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