With the UK experiencing increasingly extreme hot and dry weather this year, pressure on water resources is intensifying across the country.
As drought declarations and water restrictions increase, the horticultural sector is calling for a long-term approach to water resilience that can meet the challenges of a changing climate.
Following the Horticultural Trades Association’s (HTA) participation in today’s National Drought Group and in response to the announcement of wider drought declarations across the UK, Fran Barnes, Chief Executive of the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), commented:
“With almost three-quarters of England in “flash drought” and all of Wales now officially in drought, numerous water restrictions and Temporary Use Bans (TUBS) across the UK, and data showing that last month was officially the driest July on record, the pressure on our water resources couldn’t be clearer.
“The solution to the UK’s water challenges lies not just in the amount of rainfall, but in how effectively we capture, store, and manage it. Today we reiterated the need for the UK to take action and implement a long-term water resilience strategy that addresses the realities of a changing climate.
“The current conditions are having a huge impact on our 1,400 members – garden retailers, growers, landscapers, designers, suppliers and manufacturers – despite our sector investing heavily in becoming more water efficient. Growers increasingly capture and recycle rainwater, retailers and landscapers promote drought-tolerant planting and more effective watering, including water butts and efficient irrigation systems suitable for gardeners, not just professional growers. We set out these needs again today at the National Drought Group meeting.
Not a seasonal issue
“Our climate may be changing, but our message remains clear: water resilience cannot be treated as a seasonal issue.
“Climate adaptation requires long-term investment in water storage, infrastructure and planning, alongside ongoing investment in the green infrastructure that makes our communities more resilient to extreme weather.
“Every summer, temperatures rise, rainfall disappears, water companies introduce Temporary Use Bans, and gardeners are urged to put away their hosepipes. Rather than gardeners, growers, and landscapers being the backstop and penalised first with water restrictions, there should be investment in the sector to provide solutions for our ‘new normal’ conditions.
“We must have a comprehensive water resilience strategy, and we need to see incentives or an easing of restrictions to allow more of our members to create water storage solutions fit for the climate volatility ahead.”
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