02/05/2012 Inside Out London

Hal there. I am a few bright and welcome to this special edition of

Inside Out. I know what it is hard to believe with all the recent rain

but we are facing the worst drought for more than 35 years. Another

winter without rain and the current water shortage could turn into a

major crisis, so coming up tonight: our whether watches reveal why

water has become such a scarce commodity in the capital, and how a

wet summer won't necessarily solve the problems. Our underground

aquifers are very low. We see their recent rainfall and thinks

everything is OK but that is not the case.

We find out why low rainfall isn't the only reason London's water

supplies are drying up. 30% or even more or wall of the water that

Thames Water put into the distribution system never reaches

the taps. And what lessons can we learn from our even dry your

friends in Spain. We have a consciousness of how precious water

is. The children talk a lot about it at school, they are the water

These famous fountains in Trafalgar Square would normally be pumping

their way through thousands of litres of water every day, but they

have all been turned off and like the hosepipes, they are likely to

remain that way for many months. Why? Mick Miller from the BBC

weather Centre has been finding out how we got into this meteorological

The Lake District is England's wettest place and looking below,

the word drought is the last thing that comes to mind. There on

reservoirs with millions of litres of water, so with all of this and

on an island where it hasn't stopped raining for the last few

weeks, how come so much of England is in drought? The Met Office is

looking into what is behind this apparent climate change. The first

place they are looking is the jet stream that carries ring bearing

weather fronts. The jet streams have been displaced further north

and by that time the weather systems are pushing further south

in two parts of England in particular, they are running into

high pressure so they are not really doing what we want them to

do, which is to add a decent amount to of rain. For this time of year,

we are competing for Nature for water. You don't get England's

green and pleasant land without it. But whilst everything around us is

turning green and the rivers are starting to fill up, what you don't

see is even more important, and that is underground. It is the

water underground, not reservoirs, that supply for the 5% of the most

populated parts of England. -- 75%. 150 miles south of Windermere and I

am in drought territory, in the East Midlands. I am visiting the

National Geological Survey in Nottingham. Using data from

thousands of four holes, they have created an underground map of

Britain -- boreholes. The areas that are in green, in two

Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, down in the south of Britain, in the south-

east, it is a really important aquifer and that only get recharged

by rainfall in the winter and we have had two relatively dry winters

so we have not had the recharge we expect. Groundwater levels have

remained normal in the north-west but as you move south-east, they

have dropped in volume by one-third. In the last couple of years, only

four months have been significantly wetter than normal, including the

April just gone. To really find out how low our ground water stocks are,

last week we've joined Andy Mackenzie and his team to do a

survey. This is the South Downs, in drought, one of the driest parts of

England. One of the most important sources of ground water is below,

the chalk aquifer. Today we have to see how far we have to go down to

find water. It is effectively a joint pressurised sponge full of

water, which the Victorians tapped with Wells like this one. The water

would normally be 20 metres below ground levels. How far down? It is

looking promising. I can see a reflection towards the bottom of

the well. Before long, we pass the point we would normally find the

water and the camera keeps descending.

One of the interesting things is that we are seeing very dry walls

on the borehole so if there was any Recharge happening, you would

probably see moisture and they would be glistening slightly, and

they are not. So even though it has been pouring with rain, that rain

hasn't made a jot of difference yet. No, it hasn't. It would take weeks,

probably months, for the water to infiltrate, but it is not going to

because it will be taken up by the plant's. That is the surface of the

water. 34.4. We have 180 years of record. This is the fifth driest we

have seen in April. It is pretty low. The last major drought was in

1976, when one dry winter was followed by a very hot summer.

are going to need water. People were forced to queue in the streets

to get their water from standpipes. This drought is different. It is

not hot and sunny, it has been pouring down, and yet we have been

told we could be entrapped until Christmas. No one is saying all of

the rain is not making a difference, of course it is. But that rain

still hasn't reached where many of us get water from, the aquifers.

What the Victorians started with Welles was soon expanded to exploit

the natural resources of the chalk aquifer on a bigger scale. This

aquifer is operated I've south-east water, supplying 2.1 million

customers from pumping stations like this one -- operated by South

East Water. It is a very serious situation. Our underground aquifers

are very, very low. We see the rivers and reservoirs low ring with

high levels because of the rainfall and we think everything is OK but

that is not the case -- flowing. We have been going lower than we have

ever gone. Worse than 1976? Yes, I think it is worse and more

widespread across regions and our greatest fear is if we have a third

dry winter. The level of recharge in our ground winter is one third

lower than it should be after two dry winters in a row. We have come

a long way from the Lake District and it seems we are even further

from the soaking rain that has been falling above-ground, but down here

it is when to rein that matters and if we don't get enough next winter,

we are all heading into the unknown -- winter rain that matters.

Now then, still to come: This church has stood in this valley in

northern Spain for more than 500 years, but I shouldn't even be able

to be here because this is the bottom of a reservoir, and that

spire is usually submerged and the thousands of tons of water.

-- Under thousands of tons of water. The severe lack of rain for the

last two years may be the main reason water is being rationed but

is this the whole story? We investigate how London is wasting

millions of litres of water every day and ask is the company that

manages the supply of putting This looks like the after effects

of a natural disaster. Actually, this is Bayswater, and the flooding

is the result of just one burst water mains. But that is not

unusual. Across the capital we are losing around half a billion litres

of water a day because of leaking pipes. That is not a few dozen

baths. Or even a few tank loads. The amount of water being wasted is

enough to fill this Olympic-size pool every five minutes. It is so

bad that every litre of water we saved with a hosepipe ban is

dwarfed by the four fleet has lost through leaking pipes. This has

only just been repaid and we have had it four times. -- repaired.

There is another leak here. And here and here and here and the high

street. It is a continual problem for us. Could this quiet part of

Hampstead the London's most leaky corner? Over the last five months

there had been a dozen incidents of burst pipes. The locals do not

appreciate the irony of water leaking away in a drought. We are

sick to the back teeth of having to be asked to look after and preserve

and conserve water. Thames Water are allowing leaks, they have been

going on at least since Christmas. I cannot use a hosepipe on my

plants and this is gushing down. Have you got a sense of how much

water has been lost? From one small section of the leak around the

corner, we measured in one minute we could collect a gallon of water.

Thames Water has tried to deal with the leagues but when it comes to

fixing them, the locals say the engineers are clueless. That little

hole down there has been dug up at least three times and that is not

where the leak is! They dig the hole and then walk away. That is

the infuriating thing. They leave it. In one case, they dug it up,

saw it was leaking, and filled back on top of it. Repeat these leakages

across the capital and it is easy to see how 25% of Thames Water's

supplies simply seeks a way. think Thames Water's record is

slovenly. They haven't taken the issue seriously. Something between

a quarter, 30% of all the water that Thames Water put into the

distribution system never reaches our taps. Compare London to other

countries and other cities in terms of leakages, and you would have to

say we do pretty badly. In Germany it is 9%, in London it is 25%.

Paris, 10%. New York, similar. A few months ago I was in Singapore.

OK, it is a new city, but their But stopping leaks in London is not

an easy job. Thames Water is fighting an uphill battle to repair

a failing Victorian water system. In so that they are pioneering a

pipe replacement programme. Instead of digging up entire streets, new

tubes are inserted into the old pipes at intervals. The eventually

plan to roll this programme out across the capital. We are working

hard to serve repair leakage. We have replaced a lot of pipes or the

last five years, which helps significantly. Thames Water claims

it has the lowest leakage level since records began. Perhaps

surprisingly, the water regulator agrees. Over the last six years we

have reduced our leakage by 30%. This year we had boats performed

our target -- we have outperformed our target. Thames Water are still

losing at Wapping 600 million litres per day -- losing an

enormous. This man thinks Thames Water is being given an easy ride.

The targets are not ambitious. We have got to start saying to the

water companies, like Thames Water, you cannot be above 15%, you should

be getting down to 10% and when you have got down to 10% you should be

thinking about seven or 8%. That is the international standard that has

been set, but somehow in Britain we have not gone that route. Thames is

one of the UK's most profitable water companies. Its pre-tax

profits were over to Mark -- �200 million. Some of these profits have

been invested here. During a drought this reservoir in north

London has the capacity to provide water for over one million people.

It draws on reserves stored underground. We have increased the

output capacity of the north-London re hard -- recharge by 6%. We have

also built the first mainland UK desalination plant, which can

produce 150 million litres of water per day. Big project like this are

great news for water companies and their shareholders. These types of

investments have huge financial returns. Fixing leaking pipes,

however, is a cost with little if any profit to be made. The water

companies and the industry in the UK works in such a way that it is

about large investment and shareholders need to get a return

to be able -- a Thames Water have an incentive as a private company

in trying to sell more water to us. They have an incentive in building

more reservoirs to be was more water. That is bought -- part of

the problem of privatisation was up professor Green has come up with a

new pricing structure that could force water companies to conserve

this precious resource. What we might do is to say to the companies,

if you put 100 tons of water into the supply but you only deliver 70

tons to the consumer, the consumer only has to pay 70% of your cost of

putting the water into supply. our reserves at one third of what

they should be at this time of year, the need for Thames Water to reduce

leaks has become even more critical. So, the way we manage to London's

water needs a radical rethink. In the meantime, we can help by being

a bit more efficient with what we use.

Wendy will be back at the end of the programme to tell us what the

weather in London has in store for the week ahead.

So, what is the plan if we do have another dry winter? Do the

Government and the water companies have a strategy to avert an even

worse crisis next year? We asked David Whiteley to investigate, and

he begins in a part of the world where they know a thing or two

about coping with dry weather. This church has stood here in this

valley in northern Spain for more than 500 years, but the thing is

that I should not even be able to be here, because this is the bottom

of a reservoir. That spire is usually submerged under thousands

of tons of water. The reason it is so dry years because Spain is going

through its worst drought for 70 years. Reservoirs are drying up and

forest fires have been raging in other parts of the country. Just

look at the water line in this reservoir. Look how high it should

be and look how low it is. Just below the trees is where the water

should be. It is incredible. Can Spain give us a glimpse into an

uncomfortable future? Four years ago, the situation got so bad that

the taps in Barcelona almost ran dry and they were forced to ship in

supplies from France. Its 3.5 million residents have had to

completely change their attitude towards what it. I find it

incredible that something as simple as water had to be transported in

tankers into Barcelona. What was that like? Well, it is a first, as

far as I know. Luckily, it did not have to be carried through on a

massive scale or for a very long time. But before that, there was a

sensation that it would be not -- that it would not be easy and that,

if it continued, there might have to be rationing. How have you

adapted your lifestyle and the current climate? I think we took

consciousness of how precious water race. So, the children talk about

it a lot in school. At first, they had an easier time adapting to

turning the tap off all the time and they became the what a police.

Through simple measures such as turning off taps, having timed

showers and teaching water conservation in schools, Barcelona

is now well on its way to becoming one of the world's leading cities

in saving water. People here are used just 107 litres per day,

compared to 150 in the UK. Across the city, they have also tried

using water from showers to flush toilets, as well as using recycled

water in the fountains. This is the first and it certainly will not be

the last time that Barcelona has faced drought. That experience four

years ago forced everyone to change the way they thought about what are

at every level. This place was the answer. They built this massive

desalination plant. It is the largest in Europe. By taking sea

water from the Mediterranean, the plant can produce 180 million

litres of fresh water every day. But that is still only one fifth of

the city's needs, so it is used as a stop-gap when the reservoirs are

low. TRANSLATION: The system is much more secure because of this

plant, but this is not total security. The plant allows us time

to function between rainy periods. If there is a drought, the plant

can produce more. I after building Europe's first desalination plant

40 years ago, Spain is now world leader in the technology, but it is

not a perfect solution. The water produced here is very expensive and

the Barcelona plant uses enough energy to power a small town.

Unlike Spain, which uses most of its water for Agriculture, this is

where we use most of last - generating electricity in our power

stations. Most of the rest, about 40%, is used in homes and gardens.

The problem is that we used to much, more than many other developed

countries. At the Environment agency, it is Trevor Bishop's job

to find a solution. Is turning salt water into freshwater the answer?

We have one big salad -- desalination plant near London. I

think the likelihood of seeing more plants over the next 20 years in

England is quite high, but you do not want to rely on it. It is very

expensive, it produces a lot of carbon, so it is not good for the

environment. We're at this very picturesque place, is it an option

for water companies to transfer water to drier parts of the

country's? The Victorians started moving water around and it

underpins a lot of how we supply water now. Manchester is supplied

by the Lake District. We could have done in the future, even greater

connectivity as part of the answer in the future. Are we talking about

a national grid of water? As far as electricity is concerned, if

somewhere is generating electricity -- is not generating electricity,

you do not get blackouts and other part of the country, so why should

it be the case for water? We do not look at it the same way as gas or

electricity. You can have droughts in the North of England and you do

not want to rely on moving water around the country exclusively.

desalination has problems and we should not rely on moving water,

what is going to happen if we had a third dry winter? It is difficult

to say, but we would be in a very bad place. I do not think we have

ever worked out the consequences of three dry winters in a row. We have

never had that. We would be having dramatic measures to conserve water

- standpipes in the streets, peoples supplies would be cut off.

We do not know the numbers of peoples involved but it could be

tens of thousands. As far as I am aware, there is no strategic

national plan to deal with three dry winters in a row. I would like

to be proven wrong. I would like to think we had a plan to deal with it,

I do not know of one. I think the plan is based on hoping that it

rains. Hope is a very risky strategy. Is there a strategy or

not? Caroline Spelman is the Environment Secretary. Yes, because

we have to have contingency planning. Drought is a natural

phenomenon that can occur anytime. We have seen this coming and we

have been planning for it. What we are putting in place now are the

measures to deal with it. Things like the temporary restrictions on

non-essential uses of water in a domestic setting are something that

the plan to do to conserve water to make sure that we do not have to

move to more restraint -- stringent restrictions later. 3.4 billion

litres of water, a quarter of our water, is lost every day. Is that

acceptable? We need to encourage the water companies to reduce

leakage. The Government has made that really clear. Should the

targets not be more stringent? Germany only lose 10% of their

water. It is the economic regulator that sets these targets, which it

believes are a target -- earth a challenge for the industry to meet.

Caroline Spelman says we need to think differently about the water

we use. When you go to a dry country and you explain to them

that, in a country like ours, we used drinking water for everything

- we wash our clothes, flush the toilet, all washed up the with

drinking water - they are sometimes quite surprised by that. Can you

guarantee that if we get a third dry winter we will not have

rationing and standpipes in the street? I am not deluded into

thinking I can tell you how much rain we're going to get. It is far

too early to tell yet whether we will have a wet winter that we need.

But, whereas it is most unlikely that we would have standpipes this

year, if we have another dry winter, that becomes more likely. Given the

recent heavy rain and floods in the UK, talk of standpipes may sound

extraordinary, but as they have discovered in Spain, the world is

changing. Climate change and expanding population mean that

demand is set to increase. Even if the rains do come this winter,

pretty soon we will all have to start thinking of drinking water as

the pressures and scarce natural resource it really is.

Before we go, here is an update from when the on how the weather is

shaping up for the week ahead. -- This April has been the wettest on

record across the last 100 years. We normally expect 53 mm of rain

but we have had more than double that in the last month.

Unfortunately, that does not alleviate the problems we have with

drought because most of that rainwater would have been taken up

by the plants, would have evaporate or would have run -- would have

evaporated or would have not made it into the underground sources.

Most of the last two years have been below average for rainfall at

this time. There is a yellow warning for heavy rain overnight

tonight. Since we do have some flood alerts in our part of the

world it is possible we could have localised flooding. If you live in

a flood risk area it is worth keeping up to date with Environment

agency information. That rain is going to start making its way

across our part of the world in the first part of tonight. There may be

some heavy downpours. It then works its way away from us in the early

hours of the morning. It will be fairly mild in the early hours of

the morning. It could be that there is some considerable surface water

when you're commuting in the morning. As we go through the day

tomorrow, there will be some drizzle, similar to today. The

outlook for the Bank Holiday weekend is for a lot of cloud

staying with us. Temperatures on Friday will be 14 or 15 Celsius. On

Saturday and Sunday, a bit of a cool breeze. It will be around 13

Celsius. Further ahead into the week, it starts unsettled but will

become drier. It will start cool but looks like the temperatures

will pick up towards the end of the I never thought I would say it, but