London – The UK government is calling on citizens to make small but impactful changes in their daily habits, including deleting old emails and pictures, as the country grapples with a “nationally significant” water shortage. Officials say the advice is part of a wider effort to cut water usage, especially by reducing demand on data centres, which require vast amounts of water to cool their systems.
The appeal comes as England faces its driest six-month spell since 1976. Five areas are officially in drought, with six others experiencing prolonged dry weather. While some regions have seen rainstorms and showers recently, the National Drought Group warns that these have “helped mask the fact that July was still the fifth warmest on record.”
Data Centres Under Scrutiny for Water Usage
According to water resources expert Dr. Venkatesh Uddameri, a single data centre can consume between 11 million and 19 million litres of water per day — roughly the same as the daily needs of a town of 30,000 to 50,000 people. This staggering figure has prompted environmental officials to highlight the hidden water costs of the digital age, from cloud storage to streaming services.
Helen Wakeham, chair of the National Drought Group, explained:
“Simple, everyday choices – such as turning off a tap or deleting old emails – really help the collective effort to reduce demand. It might seem small, but when millions of people make these changes, the impact is huge.”
Additional Water-Saving Measures
Alongside the push to reduce digital storage demands, the National Drought Group is urging households to:
- Fix leaking toilets (which can waste up to 400 litres per day)
- Avoid watering lawns
- Turn off taps while brushing teeth
- Take shorter showers
Water restrictions are already in place in some parts of England. Compliance has been generally good, according to officials, though they warn that further measures could be necessary if dry conditions persist.
Government and Industry Response
Water companies have pledged over £700 million over the next five years to repair leaks and improve water efficiency. The UK Environment Agency is also increasing compliance checks on both businesses and utilities to ensure drought response plans are being implemented.
The UK Met Office forecasts continued warm and dry weather for much of the south, with temperatures in some areas reaching the mid-30s°C. Chief Meteorologist Dr. Will Lang noted that such conditions place additional strain on already depleted water supplies.
While deleting an email may not feel as urgent as turning off a tap, government officials insist that in the age of cloud computing, even digital clutter has a very real environmental footprint.
