Dry May sparks water scarcity warning

Water scarcity is set to increase rapidly as Scotland saw less than half its rainfall last month, experts have warned.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said most of the country has now been put on early warning of water scarcity.

Loch Maree in the Highlands has recorded extremely low river flows, Sepa said, and it has been put on a moderate scarcity alert.

The surrounding areas of the north-west Highlands, extending down to Loch Ness, are also experiencing very low river levels.

Only north Aberdeenshire remains at normal conditions for the time being, the agency said.

Scotland saw only 44% of the long-term average rainfall across the country in May, and with forecasts for the next week involving little rain, Sepa warned the water scarcity situation could escalate quickly.

Meanwhile Scottish Water has urged people to use water more efficiently, saying every Scot is using an average of 180 litres a day – which is both higher than before Covid and usage in the rest of the UK.

It said that is putting a strain on water supplies, with average reservoir levels across Scotland at 85% – 4% lower than average for this time of year and 6% lower than this time last year.

Kes Juskowiak, of Scottish Water, said: “The recent dry weather has seen an increase in customer use and an additional 100 million litres of water had to be distributed each day across the weekend and on Monday.”

That is the equivalent of 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or 1.2 million baths each day.

Mr Juskowiak added: “We believe that a large part of the additional water use is within gardens, so we would ask that customers are mindful of how much water they use in outdoor spaces such as lawns.

“Water is always worth saving, so we would ask everyone to do all they can in and around the home and garden to help us keep water flowing normally to their taps.

“By taking simple steps to reduce the volume used around the home and garden, we can make our country’s water go even further.”

Sepa has urged farmers and golf course owners to only use the water they need.

Nathan Critchlow-Watton, head of water and planning at the agency, said: “This is a crucial time of year for water demand, but with no rain in the forecast we cannot rule out needing to impose restrictions over the summer.

“Abstractors must manage water wisely in the coming weeks and months and should already have contingency plans in place in case restrictions are needed to avoid long-term damage to the environment and fish populations.”