'More help needed' despite Scottish Water customers saving 60 million litres a day since warning
Scots were slapped with a warning to reduce water usage after the country saw the driest start to a year since 1964.
Scots were hit with a stark warning to reduce their water usage last week following the driest start to a year in Scotland since 1964. And although improvements have been made, there is still a long way to go.
Scots were asked to take shorter showers, switch off sprinklers, use watering cans and avoid using hoses where possible, although advice stopped short of calling for a full hosepipe ban for the first time in 30 years.
Scottish Water said that, since the middle of April, Scots had been using around an extra 150 million litres of water a day. April was the UK's hottest ever, with mini-heatwaves at either end of the month and less rain than usual.
May has continued in the same vein, although no records have been broken as of yet. Nevertheless, it seems last week's call for people to use water efficiently has been heeded, according to new data from Scottish Water.
The utility estimates that demand for water has reduced by about 60 millions litres per day – enough to supply about half of Fife with water for a day – from its peak of more than 2000 million litres per day last week.
The significant decrease will help the utility to protect resources and maintain normal supplies across the country. But as the generally dry weather is forecast to last for most of this week, customers are being urged to keep it up.
Water levels have fallen from an average of 81 per cent last week to 77 per cent now – 13 per cent below the average of 90 per cent for this time of year and 16 per cent below levels of 93 per cent this time last year.
"We'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has helped reduce water demand by using what is a precious resources as efficiently as possible," Kes Juskowiak, a Scottish Water Director, said.
"But we need customers to continue their support and to take whatever measures they can to do so.
"The system remains under significant pressure and so we we'd like to encourage everyone to continue to use Scotland's water as efficiently as possible.
"Gardeners can have a particularly big impact by switching off sprinklers and using watering cans instead.
"But we can all play our part through simple steps like shorter showers and turning the tap off when we brush our teeth. It all adds up."
How can Scots help save water?
• Using water efficiently in the garden and outdoor spaces by using a watering can instead of a garden hose where possible and avoiding using sprinklers
• Taking shorter showers
• Turning the tap off when brushing teeth
• Using washing machines and dishwashers only when fully loaded
• Using a bucket and sponge rather than a hose to wash the car
Keith also noted that we are individually using an average of 178 litres of water per person per day in Scotland, which is higher than in England and Wales where people use an average of 137 litres per person per day.
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Customers are reminded they can also save money while using water more tactfully. If a household of four takes just two minutes off their showers, they can save 5,000 litres of water a year and cut about £100 off their energy bill.
What's more, by putting a full load in your washing machine washing at 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees, they can save on water and on energy consumption by 57 per cent.
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