Overview
- The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee published a report this week that links the 2025 nationally significant drought and early 2026 dry conditions to long‑term supply risks and calls for immediate action.
- The committee cites Environment Agency modelling that projects a possible public water shortfall of about five billion litres a day by 2055 if current trends continue.
- Peers recommend stronger monitoring, real‑time soil and river data, a full environmental and economic assessment, reform of abstraction licences and easier local reservoir construction to boost resilience.
- DEFRA says it has secured private investment and plans for nine new reservoirs but the committee says those steps must be paired with tighter regulation, demand reduction and clearer regional planning.
- The report warns of concrete harms to people and nature with 16 water companies in serious stress in the South East and East, threats to farm production and irreversible losses at botanic collections, and it sets an autumn 2026 deadline for an emergency prioritisation plan.