Officials in Yorkshire are breathing a sigh of relief as the water levels in key reservoirs are bouncing back after an exceptionally dry year.
Great Driffield Radio reported that a spell of much-needed rainfall across Yorkshire saw its reservoirs rise for seven consecutive weeks up to the end of October. The gains were further compounded by repairs to the water infrastructure.
Dave Kaye, director of water services at Yorkshire Water, explained: "We've repaired over 11,000 leaks since the beginning of April this year, and we've been repairing those leaks an average of 36% faster than usual - leakage has reduced by 34 million litres per day since the start of April."
At the time of the article's publication, water levels were averaging 57.1% but since then, the situation has improved even further. According to the BBC, the heavy rains of Storm Claudia have caused water levels to rise to over 80%.
The improvement is especially welcome after the driest spring in 132 years gave way to a lengthy summer drought. This led to hosepipe bans being imposed across the region to conserve water.
Britain isn't usually associated with a lack of rainfall, but droughts are becoming more common, especially in the south of England. A warming atmosphere caused by human activity leads to more frequent and worsening extreme weather events. According to the UK's Met Office, this is projected to lead to wetter winters but drier summers.
A rise in water levels is always a promising development and has been seen in several reservoirs and lakes worldwide. The early onset of the monsoon season in India has been exceptionally welcome for a nation with such acute water stress levels. As encouraging as the improvements are, without long-term planning and sensible local measures, they'll only be a temporary boon.
Officials in Yorkshire are not resting on their laurels, as a spokesperson for Yorkshire Water told the BBC, "We need to continue managing our resources carefully."
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