Key facts
- England could face a daily shortfall of five billion litres of water by 2055.
- Household water consumption in England is 136.5 litres per person per day, compared to 97 in Denmark.
- Businesses use nearly a third of water supply, with some receiving discounts for higher usage.
- Potable water is being used for industrial cooling and irrigation, prompting calls for bans.
- Over 45 litres per person per day are lost from England's water network due to leaks.
England is facing a critical water shortage, with projections indicating a daily shortfall of five billion litres by 2055. This looming crisis is driven by a combination of increasingly frequent heatwaves, significantly reduced rainfall, and a projected rise in water demand. Farmers, like Daniel Sizer in Suffolk, are already experiencing the severe consequences, with irrigation bans implemented due to critically low river levels, leading to crop destruction. This situation highlights a more worrying trend than the traditional summer hosepipe bans, pointing towards a systemic issue with water availability.
Factors contributing to the potential shortfall include growing consumption patterns. In England, daily water use per person stands at 136.5 litres, a substantial increase over the past 50-60 years, contrasting sharply with Denmark's 97 litres per person per day. This difference is attributed to changing habits, such as increased showering frequency. Households account for nearly 60% of water use, and adopting Danish consumption patterns could significantly reduce the projected deficit.
Despite water companies' campaigns to encourage conservation, their efforts have had limited success, partly due to public distrust. Experts suggest that higher water prices, similar to those in Denmark where water meters are mandatory and costs are significantly higher, could be a more effective driver of behaviour change. While UK water bills are rising, the argument is made that consumers are still not paying enough for the resource, leading to assumptions of perpetual availability. The current pricing structure, particularly for businesses which receive discounts for higher usage, is also being re-evaluated.
Beyond household consumption, businesses are significant water users, and the practice of using high-quality potable water for industrial purposes like cooling data centres and irrigating golf courses is being questioned. Calls are being made to ban data centres from using drinking water and to mandate closed-loop systems. While water leakage from the network has decreased, a substantial amount, over 45 litres per person per day, is still lost, underscoring the need for improved infrastructure and leak detection technologies, such as those employing fibre optic cables.