Despite its rainy reputation, the UK’s public water supplies are often threatened by drought and water scarcity. Shouldn’t the country do a better job of capturing and using all its rain?
In 2023, the government’s official National Infrastructure Commission concluded that the UK needs more reservoirs. It lamented that no new reservoir has been built for more than 30 years and demanded new water infrastructure for at least 1,300 megalitres per day, the equivalent of 5,200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
