Review of multi-sector impacts of water scarcity

Description

The Environment Agency's National Framework for Water Resources explores England's long-term water needs, setting out the scale of action needed to ensure resilient supplies and an improved water environment. By 2050, if no action is taken, 5 billion extra litres of water per day will be needed for public water supply alone to address future pressures. To prepare for such changes in water availability in the future, water companies are looking at ways to improve public water supplies (PWS) and reduce demand. The National Framework has also moved us towards strategic regional planning, where five regional groups made up of water companies and other sector water users form regional plans to build water resources resilience. Non-PWS abstractors face the same pressures as water companies to meet future demands, whether from population growth, new developments, or our changing climate. We need to ensure water is available for new housing developments, food security, the technology sector, low carbon power generation and industry to secure economic growth, mitigate water scarcity and drought. We must also ensure that water is used sustainably so that the environment is protected. The National Framework has a renewed focus on improving multi-sector planning for future water needs. So far, aside from PWS, the focus has been on the agriculture and energy sectors due to a natural progression of previous water resources planning and work. Now we need to take stock of other water using sectors to review their vulnerability to water scarcity and improve their level of resilience. This project aims to independently engage key water using sectors and assess the impact of water scarcity on each of those sectors. This will: • effectively support the aim of the National Framework for Water Resources;  • aid multi-sector planning and local engagement of non-PWS sectors;  • help ensure non-PWS sectors are appropriately targeted and engaged with the water resources planning process; • provide a picture of the challenges different sectors face in a changing water environment.