They are under ministry pressure too. In London at least. As others have said, the south-east has been more or less in drought conditions for many years - as much to do with high consumption per capita as much as low rainfall, leaking pipes and rubbish management.
I used my hose to fill up 2 watering cans in turn. Emptying one as the other was filling. I didn't use a drop less water ,but it complied with the rules. Locally ( Hants back then ) a guy was fined for using a hosepipe to siphon water from his bath .
Turns out I could see the helicopter from my bedroom window. If anyone wants to know what your tax money being evaporated looks like here's the photo for you It's a massive area of replanting covering a whole mountainside so this guy is really p***ing in the wind...
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
I refuse to believe that as a small country completely surrounded by water it is beyond the capabilities of the government to manage our water better. Methinks it is a lack of incentive much easier to blame gardeners and ban them from using their hoses to save precious plants from death.
Here here, Debs other much more draught ridden countries manage, I didnt know you could use a hose to fill a watering can, how weird, I thought a ban is a ban!, thing on Mumsnet yesterday, saying how some people using hose to fill kids paddling pool were selfish, BUT I said to Hubby last night if you use a watering can to fill it up its exactly the same volumn of water. Was our Wedding Anniversary yesterday usually buy him a shrub more likely a rhododendron, desided not to risk it, looks like one that we have had about 18 years (in a pot) has copped it, have moved to the back of the shed, a bit more shade, and a lovelly dark red acer, I was always lead to believe those with dark folliage faired better in sun, the bright green ones are fine (so far!!!)
We used to go to Gran Canaria about 5 or 6 times a year and they had irrigation pumping water onto roundabout and the like at mid day. A barren rock ( apart from the east side ) in the Atlantic, with very little rainfall, and they manage to irrigate roundabouts. I ask you .
Mm, But people who live in an arid climate, or with limited rainfall, are used to the habits of water conservation. And governments of countries with an arid climate inevitably develop the infrastructure to manage and conserve water supplies.
Considering how much it usually rains in the UK, it's not that surprising that our infrastructure is not designed for drought or that our citizens don't expect one. I doubt it's coincidence that the two areas that are now or are about to have hosepipe bans are normally the wettest parts of the country. They are not the areas that have had the lowest rainfall this summer (although the United Utilities area is the only the only part of the UK that had a drier than average spring this year. Most of us hit the average because it was so wet at the start).
I don't have mains water. If I over-use the spring by watering my lawn, no shareholders get a dividend, I simply run out of water to wash and cook. A hosepipe ban won't apply to me but I have a far more immediate incentive to manage water carefully. I don't plant many perennials in spring. I don't spend a fortune on rare plants that I may not be able to care for (like tree ferns). I have very few pots on my patio and those I do have are planted with things like lavender, agaves and pelargoniums that cope with relatively little water. I expect to have to restrict water use in summer and so have adjusted. Most people in the UK don't - why should they? but I expect most people in Gran Canaria are also cautious, so demand is more constant and the infrastructure copes. In the UK, the difference between summer and winter water usage creates a significant problem.
And private water companies have no incentive to fix leaks.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
There are plenty of swimming pools in Gran Canaria ( We stayed at one hotel which had 5. One of them was 75m long " the longest swimming pool in Spain" it said ). Even topping up to compensate for evaporation must use a huge amount. That's the big swimming pool between the trees up to the wall.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Locally ( Hants back then ) a guy was fined for using a hosepipe to siphon water from his bath .
Considering how much it usually rains in the UK, it's not that surprising that our infrastructure is not designed for drought or that our citizens don't expect one. I doubt it's coincidence that the two areas that are now or are about to have hosepipe bans are normally the wettest parts of the country. They are not the areas that have had the lowest rainfall this summer (although the United Utilities area is the only the only part of the UK that had a drier than average spring this year. Most of us hit the average because it was so wet at the start).
I don't have mains water. If I over-use the spring by watering my lawn, no shareholders get a dividend, I simply run out of water to wash and cook. A hosepipe ban won't apply to me but I have a far more immediate incentive to manage water carefully. I don't plant many perennials in spring. I don't spend a fortune on rare plants that I may not be able to care for (like tree ferns). I have very few pots on my patio and those I do have are planted with things like lavender, agaves and pelargoniums that cope with relatively little water. I expect to have to restrict water use in summer and so have adjusted. Most people in the UK don't - why should they? but I expect most people in Gran Canaria are also cautious, so demand is more constant and the infrastructure copes. In the UK, the difference between summer and winter water usage creates a significant problem.
And private water companies have no incentive to fix leaks.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
That's the big swimming pool between the trees up to the wall.