Delete old emails to save water, say officials

Yahoo

a day ago

Old emails should be deleted to save water, officials have told the public.
Emails and photos stored in the cloud are maintained by vast data centres, which consume so much energy that they require large amounts of water to keep cool.
Five areas of Britain are now officially in drought, with six more in prolonged dry weather status, according to an update from the National Drought Group.
The advice to delete old emails was issued by the Environment Agency as Britain faces its fourth heatwave of the summer. Temperatures are expected to soar to the mid-30s this week, which would make the UK hotter than Bali.
Helen Wakeham, the Environment Agency director of water, who chairs the national drought group, said: 'The current situation is nationally significant, and we are calling on everyone to play their part and help reduce the pressure on our water environment.
'Simple, everyday choices – such as turning off a tap or deleting old emails – also really help the collective effort to reduce demand and help preserve the health of our rivers and wildlife.'
Other advice to the public included taking shorter showers, watering plants from the kitchen tap rather than a hosepipe, capturing and re-using cold water while waiting for hot water to come out and installing a rain butt.
Hosepipe bans are still in place for all Yorkshire Water customers along with some customers of Thames Water, South East Water and Southern Water.
July was the fifth-warmest on record and, despite heavy storms, still had lower than average rainfall. Many river flows and reservoirs have continued to recede compared with June and are well below where they should be for the time of year.
Reservoir levels fell by 2 per cent last week and are now 67.7 per cent full on average across England, compared to 80.5 per cent, the normal figure for the first week of August, and down on the 75.6 per cent average last month, the Environment Agency said. Some reservoirs, such as the Derwent Valley group in Derbyshire, are less than half full.
Will Lang, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: 'This week is starting off warmer than of late across England and Wales, with temperatures getting towards the mid-30s Celsius for some in the south.
'While conditions remain mostly settled across the South, the picture is more unsettled further north-west, with rain or showers at times. As we move into the second half of August, there are indications of high pressure building and therefore largely settled conditions overall.
'Although dry weather is more likely, rain, showers or thunderstorms cannot be ruled out.'
The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber heat health alert for five regions, while a yellow warning for four other areas is also in force. An amber heat health alert means the NHS will start to see an increase in demand from otherwise healthy people.
Dr Paul Coleman, a public health consultant at the agency, said: 'Temperatures are forecast to rise above 30C across central and southern parts of the country over the next few days, and generally hot weather is expected across most regions of England.
'These kinds of temperatures can result in serious health outcomes across the population – particularly in those who are vulnerable, such as the elderly or those with serious health conditions – so it is important that everyone takes sensible precautions while enjoying the sun.'
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