Following exceptionally low rainfall over the past 18 months, seven water companies have announced temporary restrictions on the use of water by their customers, and this effects the South East of England.
After the second very dry winter, the government has been working with suppliers and consumers to mitigate the impact this will have on homes and businesses, and as a result, temporary restrictions in the areas affected are expected to come into force from 5th April.
At this time, while Kent and Sussex will be subject to hosepipe bans, Southern Water customers in Winchester & Chandler's Ford are being asked to be careful with supplies and not waste water, but this situation is subject to change.
Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine said: "I know that the water companies involved have been coordinating closely the precise terms of those restrictions as they recognise that a single set of measures is easier for customers to understand. But they also have to reflect their local circumstances and the detailed intentions of each company are set out on their websites and in local newspapers.
"In order to ensure the action taken is coordinated and strategic, Richard Benyon, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment and Fisheries, and Defra Minister Caroline Spelman have been convening drought summits with the sectors most affected. These have been taking place since May 2011 and at the most recent summit it was confirmed that Paul Leinster, Chairman of the Environment Agency, will chair a small high level cross-sector group to lead coordination of measures needed to manage the drought and to plan ahead for the risk of continuing drought."
At the same time, they are working across central and local government and with key stakeholders to manage the effects of the current drought.
Caroline Spelman said: "Tackling water leakage is...a clear priority for the Government. Water companies have cut leakage rates by over a third since the mid 1990s, but we have recently agreed with water companies that extra efforts would be made to tackle leakage and we shall be keeping progress under review. This would be in addition to the leakage reduction targets already set by Ofwat.
"In addition to measures which will help in the short-term, we have also set out the action we are taking to address the challenge of maintaining secure and plentiful water supplies in the longer term."
In the government's Water White Paper, published last December, it was set out how interconnecting pipes between different parts of the country would help to build a new national network. Interconnectivity is not new but more can be done to deliver more flexible and efficient networks and Ministers are committed to making that happen. The idea of a new north-south pipe has been raised, but it is the case that smaller-scale inter-connections between water companies are both more cost effective, and more resilient given the uncertainty over the impact climate change may have on water resources in areas of the country we currently perceive as 'water-rich'. An example of this approach was the connection made last year between United Utilities in the North West and Welsh Water, at a cost of £120m.
Ms Spelman continued: "We have also pledged to reform the abstraction regime which governs how we take water out of our rivers and water sources. It will mean that in future we have a system that is more flexible and enables us to use available water to meet the needs of households and businesses, while protecting the environment and water levels in our rivers.
"One solution that is occasionally raised is the scope for increasing desalination capacity. Desalination is energy intensive and ultimately expensive, but in some circumstances the right answer which is why Thames Water has activated its desalination plant at Beckton with the capacity to serve one million customers."
More information...
Find out the latest from Southern Water here.