Nearly 3/4 of the UK's area is currently in drought as weather conditions worsen after the dry start of August, the National Drought Response Group warned on August 10 (local time).
Xinhua reported that this group, including management agencies, government officials, water supply companies and agricultural organizations, issued a notice after a meeting. The group warned that all areas of Britain are under pressure on water resources, with increasing impacts on agriculture, public supplies, waterways and the environment.
East Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, Kent and East Sussex, Solent and South Downs are the latest areas to turn into drought. This move means 71.3% of the UK's area is experiencing flash drought, which is developing very rapidly due to the combination of extremely low rainfall and higher temperatures.
About 45 million people in the UK currently live in drought-stricken areas, with more than 27 million people suffering from water use restrictions. These changes occurred after July, the driest month in 190 years, while rainfall from the beginning of August to date has only reached 5% of the forecast level.
There are warnings of further drought and another heatwave is coming," the government said in a statement.
Mr. Tony Grayling - Head of Drought Strategy at the Environment Agency and Chairman of the National Drought Response Group - said that drought conditions are worsening and will continue to be so until there are "significant and continuous rainfall".
Hot and dry weather is actually harming the agricultural sector and will have long-term impacts on our environment," Mr. Grayling said.
The British government has strengthened responses to drought and is actively considering more support options for the agricultural sector. British Minister for Water Resources - Emma Hardy - said: "We understand how challenging this summer is, especially for hardworking farmers who are at the forefront of climate change and the increasing number of floods and droughts.
