Commenting on the news from the Met Office that 2012 was the UK’s second wettest year on record, the institution’s water expert, Michael Norton, said: “Extreme rainfall naturally diverts the focus away from drought. However, there is actually no better time to be discussing how we can manage our water resources more effectively than when we have water in excess. The management of drought and flooding are interdependent and require a coherent strategy, ideally led by a UK-wide water security task force. Without a strategy, we will continue to swing from flooding to drought and climate change will only exacerbate the situation.”
Calling for more infrastructure construction, Mr Norton said: “Developing new storage facilities across the country to harvest more rainfall must form part of this strategy – rainfall is becoming more varied in terms of time and place and we can no longer rely on large reservoirs in only a few locations. New facilities come at a cost however, and water companies should be incentivised and encouraged to collaborate in order to share the cost and also ensure they are developed for a range of uses such as flood control, agriculture and public water supply.
He added: “There are many measures that can help us manage water more effectively from multipurpose reservoirs, storage ponds for agriculture, sustainable urban drainage systems, and household rainwater harvesting. But this requires a strategy bringing in all of the key players involved in water resource management and usage - from regulators, farmers and industry to water companies, the public and governments across the UK. To set this in motion, UK governments should create a UK water security task force, providing leadership and ultimately delivering a strategy that is coherent, integrated and achieves long term water security.”
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